Television Viewing Methodology to Understand Cognitive Processing of ADHD Children

Abstract

Four studies with a total of 105 boys (aged 7–12 yrs) with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and 112 non-ADHD boys (control Ss), examine attention and comprehension of children with ADHD. In Study 1, Ss' parents kept a 5-day TV viewing log. Ss were then given a 15-min presentation of an educational program and as well as some toys with which they could play. In Study 2, Ss were shown comparable segments of the same program. In Study 3, Ss viewed 3 different programs with no break. In Study 4, Ss were shown 2 23-min segments with toys present during one and absent during the other. Results show that ADHD Ss can sustain attention for relatively long at the same level as with that of control Ss, but that differences exist between ADHD and control Ss in terms of story comprehension and recall. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved)