This article examines whether various cognitive abilities are associated with symptoms of ADHD. Cognitive ability is conceptualized using Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) theory as measured using theWoodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Ability (3rd ed.). This article also examines whether test session behavior mediates the association between cognitive ability and ADHD. Participants are children ages 6 to 12 with (n= 33) and without (n= 19) ADHD. Results show that inattentive symptoms of ADHD are significantly related to the CHC ability of processing speed above and beyond the effect of test session behavior. Symptoms of ADHD (both inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity) are also significantly associated with visual spatial processing, but this is completely mediated by test session behavior. It is concluded that inattentive symptoms of ADHD are associated with slower processing speed and that this relationship is not explained by test session behavior.
American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders(4th ed., text revision). Washington, DC: Author.
2.
Anastopolous, A. D., Spisto, M. A., & Maher, M. C. (1994). The WISC-III freedom from distractibility factor: Its utility in identifying children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Psychological Assessment, 6, 368-371.
3.
Andrade, B. F., Waschbusch, D. A., King, S., Thurston, C., McNutt, L., Terrio, B., et al. (in press). Teacher classified peer social status: Preliminary validation and associations with behaviour ratings. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment.
4.
Atkins, M. S., Pelham, W. E., & Licht, M. H. (1989). The differential validity of teacher ratings of inattention/overactivity and aggression. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 17, 423-435.
5.
Barkley, R. A. (1997). Behavioral inhibition, sustained attention, and executive functions: Constructing a unified theory of ADHD. Psychological Bulletin, 121(1), 65-94.
6.
Barkley, R. A., Grodzinsky, G., & DuPaul, G. J. (1992). Frontal lobe functions in attention deficit disorder with and without hyperactivity: A review and research paper. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 20, 163-188.
7.
Baron, R. M., & Kenny, D. A. (1986). The moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51, 1173-1182.
8.
Bedi, G. C., Halperin, J. M., & Sharma, V. (1994). Investigation of modality-specific distractibility in children. International Journal of Neuroscience, 74(1-4), 79-85.
9.
Bird, H. R., Gould, M. S., & Staghezza, B. (1992). Aggregating data from multiple informants in child psychiatry epidemiological research. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 31(1), 78-85.
10.
Carella, S. E. (1998). The cognitive profiles of the inattentive and hyperactive-impulsive subtypes of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Dissertation Abstracts International: Section B: The Sciences and Engineering, 58, 62-29.
11.
Carlson, C. L.,& Bunner, M. R. (1993). Effects of methylphenidate on the academic performance of children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and learning disabilities. School Psychology Review, 22(2), 184-198.
12.
Carlson, C. L., Lahey, B. B.,& Neeper, R. (1986). Direct assessment of the cognitive correlates of attention deficit disorders with and without hyperactivity. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 8, 69-86.
13.
Carlson, C. L., & Mann, M. (2000). Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, predominantly inattentive subtype. Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 9, 499-510.
14.
Carlson, C. L.,& Mann, M. (2002). Sluggish cognitive tempo predicts a distinct pattern of impairment in the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, predominantly inattentive type. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 31, 123-129.
15.
Carroll, J. B. (1997). The three-stratum theory of cognitive abilities. In D. P. Flanagan & J. L. Genshaft (Eds.), Contemporary intellectual assessment: Theories, tests, and issues(pp. 122-130). New York: Guilford.
16.
Chhabildas, N., Pennington, B. F.,& Willcutt, E. G. (2001). Acomparison of the neuropsychological profiles of the DSM-IV subtypes of ADHD. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 29, 529-540.
17.
Cohen, M., Becker, M. G., & Campbell, R. (1990). Relationships among four methods of assessment of childrenwith attention deficithyperactivity disorder. Journal of School Psychology, 28, 189-202.
18.
Daleiden, E., Drabman, R. S., & Benton, J. (2002). The guide to the assessment of test session behavior: Validity in relation to cognitive testing and parent-reported behavior problems in a clinical sample. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 31, 263-271.
19.
Dodge, K. A. (1986). A social information processing model of social competence in children. In M. Perlmutter (Ed.), The Minnesota symposium on child psychology: Cognitive perspectives on children's social and behavioral development(Vol. 18, pp. 77-125). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
20.
Faraone, S. V., Biederman, J., Lehman, B. K., & Spencer, T. (1993). Intellectual performance and school failure in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and in their siblings. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 102, 616-623.
21.
Frick, P., Kamphaus, R. W., Lahey, B. B., Loeber, R., Christ, M. G., Hart, E., et al. (1991). Academic underachievement and the disruptive behavior disorders. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 59(2), 289-294.
22.
Glutting, J. J., & Oakland, T. (1993). Guide to the assessment of test session behavior. San Antonio, TX: Psychological Corporation.
23.
Glutting, J. J., Oakland, T., & McDermott, P. A. (1989). Observing child behavior during testing: Constructs, validity, and situational generality. Journal of School Psychology, 27, 155-164.
24.
Glutting, J. J., Robins, P. M., & de Lancey, E. (1997). Discriminant validity of test observations for children with attention deficit/ hyperactivity. Journal of School Psychology, 35, 391-401.
25.
Hinshaw, S. P. (1992). Externalizing behavior problems and academic underachievement in childhood and adolescence: Causal relationships and underlying mechanisms. Psychological Bulletin, 111, 127-155.
26.
Hinshaw, S. P.,& Melnick, S. M. (1995). Peer relationships in boys with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder with and without comorbid aggression. Development and Psychopathology, 7, 627-647.
27.
Horn, J. L. (1985). Remodeling old models of intelligence. In B. B. Wolman (Ed.), Handbook of intelligence: Theories, measures, and applications(pp. 267-300). New York: John Wiley.
28.
Horn, J. L. (1989). Cognitive diversity: A framework of learning. In P. L. Ackerman, R. J. Sternberg, & R. Glaser (Eds.), Learning and individual differences: Advances in theory and research(pp. 61-116). New York: Freeman.
29.
Horn, J. L. (1994). Theory of fluid and crystallized intelligence. In R. J. Sternberg (Ed.), Encyclopedia of human intelligence(Vol. 1., pp. 443-451). New York: Macmillan.
30.
Horn, J. L., & Noll, J. (1997). Human cognitive capabilities. In D. P. Flanagan, J. L. Genshaft, & P. L. Harrison (Eds.), Contemporary intellectual assessment: Theories, tests, and issues(pp. 53-91). New York: Guilford.
31.
Kaplan, B. J., Crawford, S. G., Dewey, D. M., & Fisher, G. C. (2000). The IQs of children with ADHD are normally distributed. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 33, 425-432.
32.
Kenny, D. A., Kashy, D. A., & Bolger, N. (1998). Data analysis in social psychology. In D. T. Gilbert & S. T. Fiske (Eds.), The handbook of social psychology, Vol. 2(4th ed., pp. 233-265). New York: McGraw-Hill.
33.
Lahey, B. B., Pelham, W. E., Schaughency, E. A., Atkins, M. S., Murphy, H. A., Hynd, G., et al. (1988). Dimensions and types of attention deficit disorder. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 27, 330-335.
34.
Losier, B. J., McGrath, P. J., & Klein, R. M. (1996). Error patterns on the continuous performance test in non-medicated and medicated samples of children with and without ADHD: A meta-analytic review. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 37(8), 971-987.
35.
Mather, N.,& Woodcock, R. W. (2001). Examiner's manual: Woodcock-Johnson III Tests of Cognitive Abilities. Itasca, IL: Riverside.
36.
Mayes, S. D., Calhoun, S. L.,& Crowell, E. W. (1998). WISC-III freedom from distractibility as a measure of attention in children with and without attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Journal of Attention Disorders, 2, 217-227.
37.
McBurnett, K., Pfiffner, L. J., & Frick, P. J. (2001). Symptom properties as a function of ADHD type: An argument for continued study of sluggish cognitive tempo. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 29, 207-213.
38.
McGrew, K. S. (1997). Analysis of the major intelligence batteries according to a proposed comprehensive Gf-Gc framework. In D. P. Flanagan & J. L. Genshaft (Eds.), Contemporary intellectual assessment: Theories, tests, and issues(pp. 131-150). New York: Guilford.
39.
McGrew, K. S., Keith, T. Z., Flanagan, D. P., & Vanderwood, M. (1997). Beyond g: The impact of Gf-Gc specific cognitive abilities research on the future use and interpretation of intelligence tests in the schools. School Psychology Review, 26, 189-210.
40.
McGrew, K. S., & Woodcock, R. W. (2001). Technical manual: Woodcock-Johnson III. Itasca, IL: Riverside.
41.
Mealer, C., Morgan, S.,& Luscomb, R. (1996). Cognitive functioning ofADHDand non-ADHD boys on the WISC-III andWRAML: An analysis within a memory model. Journal of Attention Disorders, 1, 133-145.
42.
Milich, R., Lorch, E. P.,& Berthiaume, K. S. (2005). Story comprehension in children with ADHD: Research findings and treatment implications. In M. P. Larimer (Ed.), Attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder research(pp. 111-136). Hauppauge, NY: Nova Science.
43.
Milich-Reich, S., Campbell, S. B., Pelham, W. E., Connelly, L. M., & Geva, D. (1999). Developmental and individual differences in children's on-line representations of dynamic social events. Child Development, 70, 413-431.
44.
National Institute of Mental Health's Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children Editorial Board. (1999). The National Institute of Mental Health Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children. New York: Columbia University Press.
45.
Oosterlaan, J., Logan, G. D., & Sergeant, J. A. (1998). Response inhibition in AD/HD, CD, comorbid AD/HD + CD, anxious and control children: Ameta-analysis of studies with the stop task. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 39, 411-425.
46.
Pelham, W. E.,& Bender, M. E. (1982). Peer relationships in hyperactive children: Description and treatment. In K. Gadow & I. Bailer (Eds.), Advances in learning and behavioral disabilities(Vol. 1, pp. 365-436). Greenwhich, CT: JAI Press.
47.
Pelham, W. E., Gnagy, E. M., Greenslade, K. E., & Milich, R. (1992). Teacher ratings of DSM-III-R symptoms for the disruptive behavior disorders. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 31, 210-218.
48.
Pelham, W. E., Gnagy, E. M.,& Greiner, A. R. (1998). Children's summer day treatment program manual. Buffalo, NY: Comprehensive Treatment for Attention Deficit Disorder.
49.
Piacentini, J. C., Cohen, P.,& Cohen, J. (1992). Combining discrepant diagnostic information from multiple sources: Are complex algorithms better than simple ones?Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 20(1), 51-63.
50.
Pope, A. W., & Bierman, K. L. (1999). Predicting adolescent peer problems and antisocial activities: The relative roles of aggression and dysregulation. Developmental Psychology, 35, 335-346.
51.
Rubin, K. H., & Krasnor, L. R. (1986). Social-cognitive and social behavioral perspectives on problem solving. In M. Perlmutter (Ed.), The Minnesota symposium on child psychology: Cognitive perspectives on children's social and behavioral development(Vol. 18, pp. 1-63). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
52.
Safer, D. J.,& Zito, J. M. (1999). Psychotropic medication for ADHD. Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Research Reviews, 5, 237-242.
53.
Sattler, J. M. (1992). Assessment of children: Revised and updated third edition. San Diego, CA: Author.
54.
Schachar, R., Tannock, R., Marriott, M., & Logan, G. (1995). Deficient inhibitory control in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 23, 411-437.
55.
Schaie, K. W. (1994). The course of adult intellectual development. American Psychologist, 49, 304-313.
56.
Sroufe, L. A. (1990). Considering normal and abnormal: The essence of developmental psychopathology. Development and Psychopathology, 2, 335-347.
57.
Ward, M. (1994). Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. In R. J. Sternberg (Ed.), Encyclopedia of human intelligence(pp. 152-157). New York: Macmillan.
58.
Waschbusch, D. A., Andrade, B., King, S., Walsh, T., Kazmi, S. O., Roach, K. A., et al. (in press). Social problem solving, comorbid ADHD/conduct problems, and callous-unemotional traits in elementary age children. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment.
59.
Waschbusch, D. A., Daleiden, E., & Drabman, R. S. (2000). Are parents accurate reporters of their child's cognitive abilities?Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 22, 61-77.
60.
Wechsler, D. (1991). Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children—Third Edition. San Antonio, TX: Author.
61.
Weiler, M. D., Bernstein, J. H., Bellinger, D., & Waber, D. P. (2000). Processing speed in children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, inattentive type. Child Neuropscyhology, 6, 218-234.
62.
Weiler, M. D., Bernstein, J. H., Bellinger, D., & Waber, D. P. (2002). Information processing deficits in children with attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder, inattentive type, and children with reading disability. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 35, 448-461.
63.
Wilkinson, G. S. (1993). Wide Range Achievement Test, Revision Three. Wilmington, DE: Wide Range.
64.
Woodcock, R. W., McGrew, K. S., & Mather, N. (2001). Woodcock-Johnson III Tests of Cognitive Abilities. Itasca, IL: Riverside.
