Inhibition in ADHD and non-ADHD children ages 6-12 years

Abstract

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that begins to emerge in childhood. This disorder is caused by an impaired prefrontal cortex (PFC) development that affects executive functions, particularly in inhibition, resulting in loss of cognitive and behavior control. This research aims to investigate the difference between inhibition in ADHD and non-ADHD children ages 6-12 years old and between the three subtypes of ADHD. Subjects in this study were children with ADHD (N=34) which consists of the inattentive type (N=14), hyperactive-impulsive type (N=9), and combination type (N=11), as well as non-ADHD children (N=34). This research used the causal-comparative method. The instrument which was utilized in this study is The Stroop Color and Word test to measure inhibition. Results of this research showed that there are differences in inhibition between ADHD and non-ADHD children and between age 6-9 years and 10-12 years old children. However, there is no difference of inhibition between three subtypes of ADHD.