Decribes age trends in television viewing time and visual attention of children and adults videotaped in their homes for 10-day periods. Shows that the increase in visual attention to television during the preschool years is consistent with the theory that television program comprehensibility is a major determinant of attention in young children.…

Attention styles and peer relationships of hyperactive (N=23) and normal (N=68) boys and girls in grades 3-5 were compared using behavioral, cognitive, and sociometric measures. Among reported results was that hyperactive girls displayed more conduct problems than normal girls, but less than hyperactive boys. (Author/JW)

Concludes that skilled adult readers may use the meanings of words ahead of fixation to enrich their interpretation of a text or use those words more simply as markers to guide further eye movements to the location of the next useful fixation. (FL)

Kindergarten children (N=39) were designated as either impulsive or reflective. Impulsive children were given discrimination training in three sessions over a three-week period. Results on retesting indicated improvement in accuracy and increased delay in response time as a result of training in the impulsive group. (Author)

Findings of this study argue against the existence of a separate diagnostic category of hyperactivity. Hyperactivity and conduct-problem scales should be combined for purposes of rating child behavior problems. A category of "attention deficit disorder without hyperactivity" should be considered as a separate rating scale factor.…

The present study was designed to define the relationship between the supposed syndrome of hyperactivity and that of aggressive conduct disorder. (Author/DB)

A study that investigated the relationships between exposure to lead and memory and attention in 313 boys (ages 9-12) in special-education schools in the Netherlands found blood-lead levels were higher in children with lower socioeconomic status and those with more hand-to-mouth behavior but did not influence cognitive factors. (Author/CR)

A study investigated whether computer touch-screen technology could improve the attentional skills of three adolescents with severe mental retardation. Initially, prior reinforcement contingencies of individual stimuli failed to control their attention. Extended exposure to single stimulus training and conflict compounds, however, alleviated…

A study involving 13 right-handed, left hemisphere stroke patients with aphasia investigated the relationship between linguistic and nonlinguistic skills. No significant relationship was found between linguistic and nonlinguistic skills, and between nonlinguistic skills and age, education, or time post onset. Instead, individual profiles of…

A multimodal assessment of 19 children (ages 4-9) with learning disabilities was used to identify problem areas. The majority presented with deficits involving both visual and auditory modalities, as well as problems with motor abilities and concentration skills. Subgroups of problem areas were found to occur together. (Contains references.)…

Objective: Cognitive effects of stimulant medication were investigated in children with mental retardation (MR) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Method: Performance on tasks tapping sustained attention, visual and auditory selective attention, inhibition, and immediate memory was assessed for 24 children (mean age 10.9 years)…

Objective: Five studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of atomoxetine compared with placebo in reducing symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) based on parent reports. The primary objective of this clinical trial was to assess the efficacy of once-daily atomoxetine compared with placebo using teacher reports. Method: One…

Attention acts as the mind's "gatekeeper" by regulating and prioritizing the stimuli processed by the central nervous system. It is essential for cognitive performance, memory, and behavior, and we know that even slight deficiencies in attention compromise learning. Basic neuroscience research further indicates that attention consists of (fairly)…

The effects of maternal interactive styles on the production of referential communication were assessed in four groups of infants whose chronological ages ranged between 0;6 and 1;8. Two groups of infants with Down syndrome (DS), one (n = 11) with a mean mental age (MA) of 0;8.6, and the other (n = 11) of 1;4.5, were matched on MA with two groups…

An attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) student's impulsivity and inattentiveness were interfering with his learning and that of his classmates. Prior to experimental intervention, a simple event recording was conducted over nine class periods to determine the frequency of this subject's impulsivity and inattentiveness. For ease of…