Inhibition, ADHD, and Computer Games: The Inhibitory Performance of Children with ADHD on Computerized Tasks and Games

Abstract

Contrary to empirical reports of inhibitory dysfunction in ADHD, parental reports suggest that when playing computer games, the inhibitory abilities of children with ADHD are unimpaired. This small-scale preliminary investigation into this phenomenon looks at inhibition of an ongoing response and activity exhibited by children with ADHD between 6 and 14 years old on two commercially available games, on the Conners's Continuous Performance Test II (CPT II), and on a more game-like version of the same task that incorporates characteristics commonly found in commercially available computer games. The performance of participants with ADHD on commercially available games is equivalent to that of typically developing participants and is significantly better on the more game-like version of the CPT II.