Exploring the Wandering Mind in ADHD.

ADHD;cognitive control;mind-wandering;rest breaks;Psychology;Social Sciences;Psychology

Hall-Ruiz, AlexandraShah, Priti R ;

University of Michigan

关键词: ADHD;    cognitive control;    mind-wandering;    rest breaks;    Psychology;    Social Sciences;    Psychology;   

Others  :  https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/handle/2027.42/135880/hallruiz_1.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

瑞士|英语

来源: The Illinois Digital Environment for Access to Learning and Scholarship

【 摘 要 】

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is characterized by inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. One important candidate factor underlying the inattention deficits is a failure of cognitive control, the voluntary goal-oriented control of behavior. Mind-wandering is an example of cognitive control failure, and is characterized by a decoupling of attention from the present task context toward unrelated concerns. Heightened ADHD symptomatology has been associated with increased mind-wandering, and both increased mind-wandering and increased ADHD symptomatology have been linked to increased errors in which participants fail to inhibit a response. However, these studies have important limitations of generalizability. Furthermore, there is a need to investigate compensatory strategies that may influence performance. This dissertation had two primary objectives: (1) to evaluate the relationship between mind-wandering, response inhibition, and ADHD; (2) to assess a potential compensatory strategy to reduce performance deficits in ADHD. We used modified versions of the continuous performance task (CPT) which requires subjects to respond to the majority of trials (90%) and creates a strong prepotent tendency to respond. For the first aim, we adapted the CPT to include embedded mind-wandering probes to measure mind-wandering and ADHD symptomatology in both non-clinical and clinical samples. Results indicated that inattention is linked to increased task-unrelated thoughts, and that task-unrelated thoughts can negatively influence overall task performance and performance on a trial-by-trial level. Based on research suggesting that rest breaks can ameliorate performance declines attributed to diminished attentional control resources, for the second aim we assessed the utility of breaks for individuals with ADHD. The first experiment allowed participants to choose if and when to take breaks in a standard CPT to evaluate if they were able to monitor their thoughts and/or performance and insert breaks to benefit their performance. The second experiment added experimenter-imposed breaks to test if the initiation of the break was a critical variable. Finally, we tested ADHD participants on and off of stimulant medication in the second experiment to measure the effects of medication on performance. Results indicated that stimulant medication and the incorporation of both types of rest breaks can normalize ADHD behavior to the level of control participants.