Term of Award

Spring 1987

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Document Type and Release Option

Thesis (restricted to Georgia Southern)

Department

Department of Psychology

Committee Chair

Robert Haney

Committee Member 1

Paul R. Kleinginna, Jr.

Committee Member 2

Gary McClure

Abstract

The present study used the Freedom from Distractibility (FD) factor and a Non-FD factor from the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children - Revised, the Underlining Test, and the Hyperkinesis Index from the Conners' Parent Symptom Questionnaire to measure changes in attention in nine children diagnosed Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity. Children were evaluated while on placebo, a low dosage, or an intermediate dosage of methylphenidate hydrochloride . Repeated measures analyses of variance revealed FD scores to be lower than Non-FD scores at all conditions, but that FD scores were significantly improved at the low dosage condition over the placebo condition (p<.05). Error scores on the Underlining Test were significantly decreased under the low dosage condition and showed further significant decrease under the intermediate dosage condition. Parents reported fewer behavior problems as methylphenidate was administered and increased. The results suggest that the WISC-R may be a useful tool in diagnosing ADD-H, but may be limited as a medication monitoring instrument. The Underlining Test appears to be sensitive to methylphenidate effects and to be a useful monitoring instrument.

Copyright

To obtain a full copy of this work, please visit the campus of Georgia Southern University or request a copy via your institution's Interlibrary Loan (ILL) department. Authors and copyright holders, learn how you can make your work openly accessible online.

Download

Files over 10MB may be slow to open. For best results, right-click and select "Save as..."

Share

COinS