The Effects of ADHD on Allocation of Study Time and Memory Performance

DeAnna Reed

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Psychology and Special Education

Date of Award

Spring 2016

Abstract

Students are continuing to be diagnosed with Attention Deficit with Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) at higher rates in comparison to other mental disorders (Hardy, Warmbrodt, & DeBasio, 2004). Students with ADHD frequently show difficulties in school due to challenges with attention, impulse control, and hyperactivity (Nigg, Blaskey, Huang-Pollock, Willicut, Hunshaw, & Pennington, 2002). Researchers (e.g., Chermak, Tucker, & Seikel, 2002; Nigg et al., 2002) have suggested that these three symptoms of ADHD hinder both their academic success and success with assessments. The goal of the researcher was to determine if there are differences in how individuals with ADHD traits (based on a subscale self-reporting of ADHD symptoms) allocate their study time, and if these differences are related to their memory performance. To assess whether there are differences in how individuals with ADHD symptoms remember information and study information, undergraduate students from the departmental participant pool at Texas A&M University-Commerce participants completed a multi-trial, verbal learning task. Participants studied Lithuanian-English word pairs (Grimaldi et al., 2010), and the total time in which participants viewed the word pairs was recorded. In the test phase, participants were presented with a Lithuanian word and were asked to provide the English translation. This study-test procedure was repeated three times followed by the administration of the Barkley Adult ADHD Rating Scales IV (BAARS-IV) to characterize participants’ ADHD symptoms. Lastly, participants completed a demographic questionnaire. An analysis comparing the results of the BAARS-IV subscale groups was examined for differences in memory performance and between how the groups allocated their study time. Results suggested there was no statistical significance in differences in study time allocation when examining total BAARS-IV scores of individuals. However, when examining the Hyperactivity subscale of the BAARS-IV, there were group differences in prospective study time allocation (PST), which was based on the relationship between study time allocation and immediate subsequent memory performance. Results of this study could be beneficial to educators in the future in order to help create instructional strategies and interventions to assist with allocation of study time for students with ADHD symptoms, especially Hyperactivity.

Advisor

Lacy Krueger

Subject Categories

Psychology | Social and Behavioral Sciences

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