Effects of self-instructional training on vigilance in hyperactive children

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the impact of a brief cognitive-behavioural intervention on vigilance performance in hyperactive children. Douglas (1980) has argued that the primary deficit of hyperactive children is in their ability to sustain attention. Although a number of studies in recent years have demonstrated that cognitive-behavioural interventions have a positive impact on social and academic behaviours, there is little evidence to suggest that the interventions produce effects on more basic cognitive functions, such as sustained attention. Using a multiple-baseline design, five subjects were assessed with a continuous performance task (C.P.T.) under baseline and intervention conditions. The intervention was based on the model of cognitive-behaviour therapy developed by Meichenbaum and Goodman (1971), and was aimed at assisting the subjects to more effectively attend to the continuous performance task. No significant changes in vigilance performance were observed, suggesting that the cognitive-behavioural intervention had no effect on the ability of the subjects to sustain attention. However, the failure of the changes in vigilance performance, in the intervention condition, to reach significance may be related to flaws in the design of the present experiment. It is suggested that future studies of the link between cognitive-behavioural interventions and vigilance utilize experimental designs including group comparisons. Studies designed to assess the impact of a cognitive-behavioural treatment on hyperactive children might also include a measure of vigilance.