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Attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is characterised by a range of behaviours that include excessive motor activity and distractibility. Motor coordination problem is often a feature. It is therefore likely that motor control mechanisms are implicated in ADHD and then executive function associated with it. After a literature review on the correlation between cognition and movement (chapter 1), the novel VSWM (chapter 2) and sequential learning (chapter 3) tasks are introduced. Based on the typical Corsi tapping task, participants were instructed to either move their hand to the stimulus presented on the computer screen or tap the keyboard when they saw it, while trying to remember the location and order of the stimuli. The results suggest that movements deteriorate VSWM in both ADHD and control groups (chapter 2) while they had a tendency to improve learning performance in healthy but not ADHD participants (chapter 3). It was posited that the results from both tasks could have been influenced by differences in the ability to concentrate on the task and difficulty in controlling movements. Two other experiments were used to test this assumption and eliminate any confounds from the memory and learning tasks. The results from chapter 4, which looks at divided attention, indicate a significantly higher response rate in the ADHD compared to the healthy participants, while showing no significant deficit in fine motor but rather on the attentional control (chapter 5) in ADHD participants. These findings are summarised in chapter 6 and discussed in terms of 1) the relationship between movement and cognitive function, 2) the causation of the VSWM deficit in ADHD, and 3) the potential use these tasks may have in a clinical setting as an assessment tool or cognitive training program for people with ADHD.

Research demonstrates that mindfulness in younger and middle-aged adults is associated with cognitive and emotional benefits. Mindfulness in older adults is less frequently studied but given the overlap between cognitive and emotional benefits of mindfulness and domains of age-related decline, this may be an important population to investigate. The present set of three studies had three aims: 1) to establish the validity of the Five Faceted Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) as a measure of mindfulness in an older adult population (Study 1); 2) to examine the cognitive and emotional associations of dispositional mindfulness (as assessed by the FFMQ and breath counting, a behavioral measure of mindfulness) in older adults (Study 2); and 3) to investigate the cognitive and emotional benefits of a brief online mindfulness training for older adults (Study 3). Concurrent goals of these studies were to examine the specificity of the FFMQ facets for predicting behavior (to examine the multifaceted nature of mindfulness) and to address the recent call in the field of mindfulness research for greater methodological rigor. To address the latter, we used objective measures of mindfulness, cognition, and emotional functioning and in our third study, a well-matched, active control condition. Results suggest that the five facets of the FFMQ hold in an older adult population (Study 1), that dispositional mindfulness is modestly associated with some aspects of attention, executive functioning, and emotion regulation (Study 2), and that mindfulness training may improve attention and increase facets of mindfulness (although this was not specific to our mindfulness condition; Study 3). We also found some mixed evidence for the specificity of the facets in predicting cognitive and emotional functioning (Study 2). We did not find that the breath counting task predicted any domains of functioning nor did accuracy on this task improve after training. These preliminary data are interesting but require replication and we are cautious about over-interpreting them given that our samples were small and analyses under-powered.

The purpose of this research was to establish the feasibility of delivering a 6-week long adapted Mindfulness for Academic Success (MAS) program to post-secondary students who were experiencing difficulties with their academic performance. Feasibility was established based on recruitment success (70%), program attendance (70% of participants attending at least four sessions), and homework compliance (70% homework completed). In addition, we hoped to establish the MAS program’s preliminary efficacy in improving executive and academic functioning and reducing mind wandering, inattention, symptoms of ADHD, and psychological distress. Forty participants from Carleton University were randomized to the MAS program (n = 20) or waitlist (WL) condition (n = 20). The overall dropout rate in this study was 38 %. Forty-five percent of the MAS program and 80% of the WL condition participants completed the study. MAS program completers complied with 32% of the overall homework during the five week reporting period and no student completed individually more than 57% of the assigned homework tasks. Accordingly, we did not meet the session attendance or homework completion feasibility requirements. Our preliminary efficacy results indicated significant improvements in some program outcomes in the intent-to-treat sample and results were more robust for MAS completers. Specifically executive functioning—self-management to time, self-organization, self monitoring, self-regulation of emotions, and executive function (EF) related ADHD symptoms—improved and ADHD symptoms decreased in the intent-to-treat sample and results were more robust in the completer sample. Psychological distress symptoms (depression and stress) and mind wandering decreased only in MAS program completers, but no changes were noted in students’ ability to pay attention to presented information during the mind wandering task. Academic functioning as measured by selecting main ideas, the use of study aids, and time management improved in both the intent-to-treat and completer samples. Changes in concentration and information processing were only evident for MAS program completers, however, changes were also noted in academic anxiety, motivation, and the use of test strategies, although effects were small. No changes were observed in participants’ self-restraint (EF), generalized anxiety, attitude toward school, and the use of self-testing in exam preparation. Although efficacy results suggest the MAS program may be beneficial, low program compliance and lack of change in students’ levels of mindfulness compromise the internal validity of this study and make drawing causal conclusions about the program’s efficacy difficult. Furthermore, while program attendance and homework compliance were correlated with some program outcomes, the lack of correlation between formal practices of mindfulness and program outcomes suggest that non-specific factors may have contributed to observed improvement in study outcomes.

In recent years there has been a move towards promoting the well-being and positive outcomes for children and young people who are at risk of or identified with emotional and behavioural difficulties. There has been interest from researchers as to why some young people are able to successfully manage very difficult situations, whilst others are not able cope and may as a result impact on their well-being and overall future outcomes in life. This study aimed to explore the role of executive functions and private speech in relation to resiliency as there has been little previous research exploring these areas together. Using the knowledge of previous research and literature, two research questions were devised; in what ways might executive functioning and young people’s resiliency relate to each other and in what ways does private speech provide insight into young people’s resiliency. This quantitative research made use of a correlation design to explore the relationships between Year 7 students’ perceptions of their resiliency and their neurocognitive executive functions. This exploratory study comprised 162 Year 7 students, who completed the Resiliency Scales for Children and Adolescents (Prince-Embury, 2007) to identify the students’ resiliency profiles. A cross section of students was selected for further investigation. 28 students completed a number of computerised tests to explore their executive functions and their private speech was captured using a video-recorder. The study revealed a number of relationships with particular aspects of executive functioning identified and particular areas of the students’ resiliency. However, the extent to which these skills are related or independent of each other is not known. The counter-intuitive findings suggest that there might be other factors which contributed to such findings, including the students’ perceptions of their competency and their sense of self-worth. There appeared to be differences in students’ use of private speech dependent on their perceived personal strengths and vulnerability. In addition, identification of the students’ non-verbal communication and paralanguage enabled greater access to students’ emotional reactions to the task situations. This helped to explore the way that the students appeared to be able to cope and manage these tasks and explore their emotional regulation further. These results are discussed in light of previous literature and research evidence and implications for practice and future research highlighted.

Background: The growing number of children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) underscores the importance of the role speech language pathologists play in addressing the language difficulties experienced by this population, including difficulties in narrative production, especially due to the close correlation between narrative performance and academic, as well as social, achievement. Although stimulant medication is the primary method of treatment for children with ADHD and is known to successfully address the behavioural and academic difficulties experienced by this population, few studies have focused on the effect of this medication on language difficulties. The need for speech-language services in the ADHD population is well documented in the literature, but it is not fully understood whether stimulant medication should be regarded as a replacement for, or an essential adjunct to speech language pathology services. Objectives: The goal of the current study was to investigate the effect of Methylphenidate-OROS® (MPH-OROS®) on the narrative ability of children with ADHD, through the analysis of microstructure and macrostructure elements. Research has shown that children with ADHD experience difficulty in planning, organizing, and monitoring narratives. The current study was based on evidence suggesting that MPH may improve aspects of language production through its effect on the primary symptoms of ADHD. Methods: A multiple single-subject pretest-posttest design was employed to examine the effect of MPH-OROS® on the narrative ability of children with ADHD. Wordless picture books were used to elicit narrative production as these books display the narrative structure valued by story grammar analysis (Stein & Glenn, 1979) while minimising the need for language comprehension and auditory memory capacity (McCabe, Bliss, Barra, & Bennett, 2008). Narratives were obtained from 12 children with ADHD (between the ages of 7 and 13 years). The children were presented with the wordless picture books for preview prior to the production of story narratives. The narratives were recorded and orthographically transcribed. For microstructure, narratives were coded using the Systematic Analysis of Language Transcripts (SALT) (Miller & Iglasias, 2012) coding conventions. Number of words, type-token ratio, and mean length of utterance were determined. For macrostructure, the narratives were analyzed and coded according to the Narrative Scoring Scheme (NSS) (Miller, Andriacchi, DiVall-Rayan, & Lien, 2003) which includes introduction, character development, mental states, referencing, conflict resolution, cohesion, and conclusion as well as a composite score reflecting the child’s overall narrative ability. Results: The administration of MPH-OROS® had a significant effect on aspects of language macrostructure, namely conflict resolution and cohesion, as well as overall narrative ability, based on the NSS total score. Little effect was noted, however, in microstructure elements. The effect of stimulant medication differed between participants, with particular differences noted in measures of productivity. MPH-OROS® increased productivity in certain participants while decreasing productivity in the remaining participants. Conclusions: The positive effect of stimulant medication on the macrostructure elements conflict resolution and cohesion as well as overall narrative ability, in the absence of an improvement in microstructure linguistic elements, suggests that the language difficulties experienced by this population may be due to difficulties in executive functions as well as inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity, all of which may have a negative impact on early language acquisition. While stimulant medication improves behaviours of attention and concentration, it cannot fully compensate for the poor structural and pragmatic language abilities, and the accompanying cascading effects, associated with the primary symptoms of ADHD. Therefore, a combination of treatments is advocated so as to ensure that children with ADHD are successful in reaching their full potential. In addition, the results highlight the possibility that response to stimulant medication may differ between ADHD-presentations, based on the presence or absence of the hyperactive component of ADHD. / Dissertation (MCommunication Pathology)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / tm2015 / Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology / MCommunication Pathology / Unrestricted

Psychological trauma may affect higher-order executive functions, which include selective attention, inhibition, and task-switching processes. Difficulty in these executive processes can in turn influence individuals' daily functioning and may also negatively affect the psychological treatment of post-trauma symptoms. Women may be most at risk for developing problems with executive functioning following trauma, consistent with their overall greater risk of developing post-trauma symptoms. Yet, little is understood about the influence of psychological variables, premorbid functioning, and specific trauma factors in determining post-trauma cognitive functioning in women. Additionally, individual variability in susceptibility to psychological distress and neuropsychological deficits following trauma remains an open area of study. The present study investigated the relationship between psychological and trauma factors with neuropsychological outcomes in women with trauma histories as well as individual variability in risk for poor neuropsychological outcomes. In total, 60 participants' data (age M = 29.73, SD = 10.91) were included in analyses. The final sample consisted of 33 community members recruited from the UNT Psychology Clinic and the UNT student body and 27 veterans recruited from the Veterans Affairs North Texas Healthcare System (VANTHCS). Regression and path analysis identified premorbid intellectual functioning as a predictor of better neuropsychological outcomes and anxiety and depression symptoms as risk factors for worse neuropsychological functioning. Person-centered cluster analyses focused on individual differences in outcomes identified three groups differing in psychological distress and neuropsychological functioning. Additional analyses identified differences in trauma exposure, psychological functioning, and neuropsychological performance between subgroups of civilians and veterans and those with and without a history of PTSD.

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Parenting sets up the characteristics of the environment in which development takes place, making it a major predictor of most developmental outcomes, including academic skills. Much research has demonstrated that parenting behaviors influence math performance, however, the mechanisms and conditions under which this association takes place remain unclear. My thesis project assessed how child executive functions (EFs) influence the effects of middle childhood parenting on adolescents’ math skills. 77 mother-child dyads from Blacksburg contributed data in two different occasions: during the first visit (child age=9), maternal parenting behaviors (supportive and non-supportive), and child EF were assessed via questionnaires, behavioral coding, and a battery of EF tasks; during the second visit (child age=14), children’s math skills were assessed using a standardized test of achievement. Regression analyses revealed a direct effect of a composite measure of non-supportive parenting during middle childhood on adolescents’ math performance. Furthermore, EF did not mediate or moderate the effect of parenting on math skills, when using composite measures of parenting. However, when the parenting behaviors were assessed individually, maternal facilitation of attention, maternal expressive encouragement, and maternal minimizing reactions had indirect effects on adolescents’ math skills via EFs; specifically, working memory and inhibitory control were significant mediators. Furthermore, child cognitive flexibility moderated the effect of maternal distress reactions on adolescents’ math skills, but only when the levels of cognitive flexibility are considerably low. / M.S. / Parenting has great impact on different areas of child development, including academic skills. Researchers have shown strong associations between parenting and children’s math outcomes, however, the mechanisms explaining this associations remain unclear. This project explored how child Executive Functions explain the effect of different types of childhood parenting on adolescents’ math performance. 77 mothers and their children were assessed when the child was 9 and 14 years old; data on parenting and child executive functions were obtained during the age 9 assessment, and data on adolescent math performance was obtained at age 14. Results reveal that the combination multiple non-supportive parenting behaviors during childhood has a direct and negative effect on adolescents’ math skills. Furthermore, specific parenting behaviors such as maternal attentiveness and encouragement have a positive effect on children’s working memory and inhibitory control, which in turn has a positive effect on math skills in adolescence. Oppositely, minimization of the child’s negative emotions had a negative effect on child inhibitory control, which in turn had a negative effect on math skills at age 14.

Executive functioning (EF) deficits may be associated with depressed states, although limited research has examined components of EF as endophenotypes of depression. This study assessed whether affective updating predicted depressive symptoms in a sample pre-selected for varying levels of depression via the affective n-back. In this task, participants determine whether the valence of a stimulus matches the valence of the stimulus presented two stimuli prior. Results suggested affective updating ability did not significantly predict depressive symptoms approximately over time, although higher accuracy in updating negative information was associated with more depressive symptoms approximately twelve weeks later. Moreover, accuracy in updating positive and negative information did not differ between groups. However, a trend emerged for depressed participants to be more accurate in updating negative information in the face of interfering positive information, compared to updating positive information with interfering negative information. The latter results are considered within the reward devaluation framework.