Investigated were attention and performance on simple tasks as well as classroom attention of seriously disturbed, communication impaired, autistic children under conditions of reduced auditory input (using ear protectors). (Author)

Reinforcement techniques for increasing the attention span of retarded students is investigated. (CD)

Tested whether learning disabled children start a vigilance task (1) with the same capacity or detectability as nondisabled children but decline as time on task increases; (2) at a lower level of stimulus detectability due to a reduced capacity for information processing but do not decline in attention faster than nondisabled children. (Author/DB)

Compared experimental desensitization with a procedure that replaced relaxation with a distraction task and with an approach that combined both relaxation and distraction. Desensitization generally was more effective than the other two procedures. (Author)

Though listening and attention span improvement are not related to amount of television viewing, preschool children who watch news and documentary programs show less improvement in listening behavior than children who watch other types of programs. (Author/CJ)

Subjects focused attention on actual or imagined stimuli while recording intruding thoughts by pressing a button. Results showed that an internal locus of control was related to fewer intrusions than an external. Actual stimuli resulted in fewer intrusions than imagined stimuli. (Author/BEF)

Mentally retarded and nonretarded adults (n=32) performed visual vigilance tests in which single digits were presented at either a fast or slow rate and the rate shifted without warning. Retarded observers detected fewer targets and made more false alarms than did nonretarded observers in all test conditions. (Author/JDD)

Examines how Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD) characteristics might have functioned within the lives of our prehistoric ancestors. These traits--distractibility, impulsivity, and restlessness--would have worked well for hunters, but not for farmers. Also explains the role of creativity in those diagnosed with AD/HD. (MKA)

Individual looks at television vary enormously in length, and this has previously indicated differences in ongoing cognitive processes. Furthermore, the relative frequency of looks of different lengths may indicate styles of attention to television. This article compares visual attention of 152 subjects across a variety of genres and examines…

This study examined the relationship between specific attentional aspects of processing capacity and analogical reasoning in children from low-income families. 77 children aged 48-77 (M = 56.7) months were assessed on an analogical reasoning task (matrices subtest of the Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test) and on computerized attention tasks designed…

We propose a computer-assisted cancellation test system (CACTS) to understand the visual attention performance and visual search strategies in school children. The main aim of this paper is to present our design and development of the CACTS and demonstrate some ways in which computer techniques can allow the educator not only to obtain more…

The goal of the current study was to test whether deficits in processing speed (PS) may be a shared cognitive risk factor in reading disability (RD) and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), which are known to be comorbid. Literature on ADHD and RD suggests that deficits on tasks with a speeded component are seen in both of these…

Objective: Compare observed and forecasted efficacy of mixed amphetamine salts extended release (MAS-XR; Adderall) with atomoxetine (Strattera) in ADHD children. Method: The authors analyze data from a randomized, double-blind, multicenter, parallel-group, forced-dose-escalation laboratory school study of children ages 6 to 12 with ADHD combined…