Response Inhibition, Categorization, and Set-Shifting in College Students with ADHD Symptoms

HTML  Download Download as PDF (Size: 253KB)  PP. 624-629  
DOI: 10.4236/psych.2014.57074    4,970 Downloads   6,848 Views  Citations

ABSTRACT

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in college students is not well researched nor well understood, but is likely to present special challenges to academic performance. Individuals with ADHD symptoms have sometimes been found to show deficits in executive functioning, including response inhibition, categorization and set-shifting abilities. However, the relationship between these abilities and ADHD symptoms in college students remains unclear. In the present study, the response inhibition, categorization and set-shifting abilities of college students with low (n = 15), moderate (n = 15), and high (n = 16) self-reported ADHD symptoms were compared. No overall group differences were found. It thus appears that in these important executive functions, college students with high self-reported levels of ADHD symptoms are not more impaired, as compared to those with fewer symptoms. Possibly, the group comparisons obscured a subset of students whose cognitive inhibition, categorization and set-shifting abilities are affected. Other limitations, including the use of self-report and the relatively low sample size, are discussed.

Share and Cite:

Murtagh, A. & Elworthy, A. (2014). Response Inhibition, Categorization, and Set-Shifting in College Students with ADHD Symptoms. Psychology, 5, 624-629. doi: 10.4236/psych.2014.57074.

Copyright © 2024 by authors and Scientific Research Publishing Inc.

Creative Commons License

This work and the related PDF file are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.