Cognitive Engagement and Story Comprehension in Typically Developing Children and Children With ADHD From Preschool Through Elementary School

Elizabeth P. Lorch, Richard Milich, Clarese C. Astrin, Kristen S. Berthiaume

Research output: Contribution to journalArticle

Abstract

The present study examined children's cognitive engagement with television as a function of the continuity of central or incidental content and whether this varied with age and clinical status. In Experiment 1, 9- to 11-year-old children's response times on a secondary task were slower the later a probe occurred in a sequence of central events, and response times predicted recall. Experiment 2 extended these results to 6- to 8-year-old children. Experiment 3 revealed that children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) failed to show the pattern consistently observed for comparison children. The results support the hypothesis that typically developing children build a representation during viewing that reflects the causal structure of the televised story but that this skill is deficient in 4- to 9-year-old children with ADHD.

Original languageUndefined/Unknown
JournalPsychology Faculty Publications
StatePublished - Jan 1 2006
Externally publishedYes

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