Work

Multiple Task Interference is Greater in Children With ADHD

Year: 2012

Type: article

Abstract: There is considerable lay discussion that children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have increased difficulty with multitasking, but there are few experimental data. In the current study, we examine the simultaneous processing of two stimulus-response tasks using the Psychological Refractory Period (PRP) effect. We hypothesized that children with ADHD would show a greater PRP effect, suggesting a prolonged "bottleneck" in stimulus-response processing. A total of 19 school-aged children with ADHD showed a prolonged PRP effect compared with 25 control children, suggesting a higher cognitive cost in ADHD for multitasking.

Source: Developmental Neuropsychology

DOI: 10.1080/87565641.2011.632459