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Atypical Visual Scan Path Affects Remembering in ADHD

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 December 2019

Nasrin Mohammadhasani
Affiliation:
Department of Educational Technology, Faculty of Psychology and Education, Kharazmi University, Tehran1417466191, Iran
Tindara Caprì*
Affiliation:
Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, Via Bivona, 98122Messina, Italy
Andrea Nucita
Affiliation:
Department of Cognitive Sciences, Psychological, Educational and Cultural Studies, University of Messina, Via Concezione, 6, 98122Messina, Italy
Giancarlo Iannizzotto
Affiliation:
Department of Cognitive Sciences, Psychological, Educational and Cultural Studies, University of Messina, Via Concezione, 6, 98122Messina, Italy
Rosa Angela Fabio
Affiliation:
Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, Via Bivona, 98122Messina, Italy
*
*Correspondence and reprint requests to: Tindara Caprì, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, Via Bivona, 98122Messina, Italy. Phone: +39-090-6766032. E-mail: tcapri@unime.it

Abstract

Objective:

Several studies agree on the link between attention and eye movements during reading. It has been well established that attention and working memory (WM) interact. A question that could be addressed to better understand these relationships is: to what extent can an attention deficit affect eye movements and, consequently, remembering a word? The main aims of the present study were (1) to compare visual patterns of word stimuli between children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and typically developing (TD) children, during a visual task on word stimuli; (2) to examine the WM accuracy of the word stimuli; and (3) to compare the dynamic of visual scan path in both groups.

Method:

A total of 49 children with ADHD, age and sex matched with 32 TD children, were recruited. We used eye-tracking technology in which the Word Memory Test was implemented. To highlight the scan path of participants, two measures were used: the ordered direction of reading and the entropy index.

Results:

ADHD groups showed a poorer WM than TD group. They did not follow a typical scan path across the words compared with TD children, but their visual scanning was discontinuous, uncoordinated, and chaotic. ADHD groups showed an index of entropy among the four categories of saccades higher than TD group.

Conclusions:

The findings were discussed in light of two directions: the relationship between atypical visual scan path and WM and the training implications related to the necessity of redirecting the dynamic of visual scan path in ADHD to improve WM.

Type
Regular Research
Copyright
Copyright © INS. Published by Cambridge University Press, 2019

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