Faculty Bibliography

This study evaluated the accuracy of teachers' ratings and examined whether these ratings are influenced by halo effects. One hundred thirty-nine elementary school teachers viewed videotapes of what they believed were children in regular fourth-grade classrooms. In fact, the children were actors who followed prepared scripts that depicted a child engaging in behaviors characteristic of an attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), an oppositional defiant disorder or a normal youngster. The findings provide support for a bias that was unidirectional in nature. Specifically, teachers rated hyperactive behaviors accurately when the child behaved like an ADHD youngster. However, ratings of hyperactivity and of ADHD symptomatic behaviors were spuriously inflated when behaviors associated with oppositional defiant disorder occurred. In contrast, teachers rated oppositional and conduct problem behaviors accurately, regardless of the presence of hyperactive behaviors. The implications of these findings regarding diagnostic practices and rating scale formats are discussed

The distinguishing and overlapping features of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and conduct disorder (CD) are discussed. Conclusions regarding comorbidity, treatment efficacy, and long-term outcome can be influenced by several factors, including diagnostic procedures and sample characteristics. The need to distinguish between referred and non-referred samples is particularly crucial when considering treatment and comorbidity issues. The efficacy of psychosocial and pharmacological treatments in ADHD and CD children is reviewed as are the few studies of psychostimulant medication in co-morbid youngsters. Suggestions regarding treatment planning and recommendations for treatment and research are described

This article reviews cognitive training studies that have been carried out with children with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) during the past decade. The efficacy of cognitive training as a single intervention and as an adjunct to stimulant treatment is discussed. The impact of training on the cognitive, academic, and behavioral functioning of youngsters with ADHD is summarized. Although this treatment modality is inherently appealing, there is little empirical support for its clinical utility with children with hyperactivity

A survey instrument was developed to examine several issues relevant to training in child and adolescent psychiatry. Forty percent of the residents representing 56% of the training programs in the United States completed the questionnaires. A descriptive profile of the typical training experiences of child and adolescent psychiatry residents is presented, as is a report of their satisfaction with each component of their program and their expectations of an ideal training program. In general, satisfaction with residency training experiences was found to be highly related to the amount of emphasis reportedly placed on the various training experiences. The implications of the findings for training directors are discussed

This study evaluated the effectiveness of a 16-week intensive cognitive training program in stimulant-treated, academically deficient ADDH boys. Cognitive training focused exclusively on academic skills and tasks, and included attack strategy training as well as self-monitoring and self-reinforcement of problem-solving behaviors and response accuracy. Control groups included remedial tutoring plus medication, and medication alone. Despite the scope of the program, the results provided no support for the notion that academically based cognitive training ameliorates the performance and achievement of academically deficient ADDH youngsters. Further, this intervention did not enhance self-esteem or attributional perceptions of academic functioning. There was poor agreement between teacher ratings of academic competence and test score changes. The lack of concordance between measures, and the scarcity of academically deficient ADDH children are discussed

The Logical Memory (LM) subtest of the Wechsler Memory Scale has been characterized by imprecise scoring instructions which can make data interpretation and study comparisons difficult. A total of 339 adults, from 18 to 83 years old, took either Form I or Form II of the LM. Verbal recall of the story passages was evaluated using gist and verbatim scoring systems. Interrater reliability was very high for both scoring approaches. The two forms were equivalent for gist recall. However, verbatim recall of Form I was more difficult than Form II because the former consists of more words to remember. Recall was related more to educational level than to age. For both gist and verbatim scoring, age and education norms were generated for immediate, delayed, and 24-h recall

The authors (see record 1986-07151-001) respond to criticism by P. C. Kendall and M. Reber (see record 1987-25962-001) that their cognitive training program for hyperactive juveniles did not include a behavioral component. It is maintained that response contingent social reinforcements were employed systematically. (PsycIN