Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is associated with
impairments of attention, most typically measured through
tests of information processing, or by subjective symptom
endorsement by patients, families, and clinicians. We have
previously shown increased rates of off-task behavior among
patients with TBI versus controls as defined by
videotaped records of independent work in distracting environments.
In this research, we report on a more detailed method of
coding such videotaped records which allows measurement
of the precise number of off-task behaviors, their durations,
and their relationship to distracting events. Using this
method, we studied 20 patients with recent moderate-to-severe
TBI and 20 demographically comparable controls as they
performed independent work tasks while being subjected
to controlled distracting events. This research confirms
that patients are markedly less attentive than controls
both in the presence of distractions and in their absence,
that distractions have an influence on off-task behavior
in both groups, and that the disruptive impact of distractors
wanes relatively quickly for controls but not for patients.
The duration of distraction produced by various classes
of distracting events appeared similar for patients and
controls, although the power to detect differences in behavioral
duration between groups was limited. The pattern of inattentiveness
among patients showed minimal relationship to measures
of injury severity within this sample. (JINS,
2000, 6, 1–11.)