Teacher reports of hypoactivity symptoms reflect slow cognitive processing speed in primary school children
Open accessAbstract
The mediating effect of cognitive processing speed on the ability of a primary school child to achieve his/her full potential of intellectual functioning emphasizes the importance of methods to detect "slow" children. Primary school teachers may be the first to have concerns about inattentive pupils who show symptoms of hypoactivity, but may find the symptoms difficult to interpret. In the present study we ask if a primary school teacher's report of hypoactivity symptoms can be explained by the child's performance on tests of processing speed. The 255 children included in the present study were part of the first wave of the Bergen Child Study, in which teachers completed a questionnaire including two hypoactivity items from the Five to Fifteen (FTF) questionnaire. Processing speed was measured by the Processing Speed Index (PSI) from the WISC-III, 1-2 years after the teacher rating. Teachers reported "certainly true" on at least one FTF item of hypoactivity for 11.8% of the children. These children obtained lower scores on the PSI than the remaining children in the sample. The PSI accounted for a considerable proportion of the variance of teacher reports on the FTF item "difficulty getting started on a task/activity". The risk of a PSI score below 85 was increased in children with teacher-reported hypoactivity symptoms. The results indicate that teacher reports of hypoactivity symptoms reflect slow cognitive processing speed and should be followed up by a psychometric examination. Still, future studies are needed to improve detection and treatment of children with slow processing speed.
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Studies in early childhood generally showed weak associations between CDS and slowed processing speed, while studies of older children and adults had mixed findings.
“Other evidence to support a link between CDS and a slowed processing speed comes from studies in early childhood [30, 31, 33] that generally showed weak associations, whereas studies of older children and adults have had mixed findings [10, 13, 14, 29, 32-40].”
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
Cites
Miyake, A., Friedman, N. P., Emerson, M. J., Witzki, A. H., Howerter, A., & Wager, T. D. (2000) · Cognitive Psychology · doi:10.1006/cogp.1999.0734 · Cited by 15,798 · see citing works
Control of goal-directed and stimulus-driven attention in the brain
Corbetta, M., & Shulman, G. L. (2002) · Nature Reviews Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/nrn755 · Cited by 12,881 · see citing works
An Integrative Theory of Prefrontal Cortex Function
Miller, E. K., & Cohen, J. D. (2001) · Annual Review of Neuroscience · doi:10.1146/annurev.neuro.24.1.167 · Cited by 12,803 · see citing works
KAUFMAN, J., BIRMAHER, B., BRENT, D., RAO, U., FLYNN, C., MORECI, P., WILLIAMSON, D., & RYAN, N. (1997) · Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry · doi:10.1097/00004583-199707000-00021 · Cited by 10,148 · see citing works
Anxiety and cognitive performance: Attentional control theory
Eysenck, M. W., Derakshan, N., Santos, R., & Calvo, M. G. (2007) · Emotion · doi:10.1037/1528-3542.7.2.336 · Cited by 5,289 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Such anxiety will probably in itself lower the cognitive ability to make quick decisions in a task, further increase problems with processing speed [8] and decrease the ability to solve complex tasks because of a stress response in the brain limiting the neural resources for cognitive processing [25].”
BackgroundWechsler Intelligence Scale for Children
Miles-Mason, E. (2018) · Sage eBooks · doi:10.4135/9781483392271.n537 · Cited by 4,133 · see citing works
Goodman, R., Ford, T., Richards, H., Gatward, R., & Meltzer, H. (2000) · Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry · doi:10.1111/j.1469-7610.2000.tb02345.x · Cited by 1,755 · see citing works
Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children
Park, S. E., & Demakis, G. J. (2017) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_1035-1 · Cited by 1,328 · see citing works
SWANSON, J. M., KRAEMER, H. C., HINSHAW, S. P., ARNOLD, L. E., CONNERS, C. K., ABIKOFF, H. B., CLEVENGER, W., DAVIES, M., ELLIOTT, G. R., GREENHILL, L. L., et al. (2001) · Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry · doi:10.1097/00004583-200102000-00011 · Cited by 1,157 · see citing works
The Epidemiology of Asperger Syndrome
Ehlers, S., & Gillberg, C. (1993) · Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry · doi:10.1111/j.1469-7610.1993.tb02094.x · Cited by 722 · see citing works
Self-citationRelationships among processing speed, working memory, and fluid intelligence in children
Fry, A. F., & Hale, S. (2000) · Biological Psychology · doi:10.1016/s0301-0511(00)00051-x · Cited by 606 · see citing works
Changes in cortical dopamine D1 receptor binding associated with cognitive training
McNab, F., Varrone, A., Farde, L., Jucaite, A., Bystritsky, P., Forssberg, H., & Klingberg, T. (2009) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1166102 · Cited by 545 · see citing works
A Comparison of the Neuropsychological Profiles of the DSM-IV Subtypes of ADHD
Chhabildas, N., Pennington, B. F., & Willcutt, E. G. (2001) · Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology · doi:10.1023/a:1012281226028 · Cited by 461 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Furthermore, poor results on such tests have been related to both behavioural [3–5] and emotional disorders [6–8].”
BackgroundNeuropsychological profiles of adolescents with ADHD: effects of reading difficulties and gender
Rucklidge, J. J., & Tannock, R. (2002) · Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry · doi:10.1111/1469-7610.00227 · Cited by 426 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Furthermore, poor results on such tests have been related to both behavioural [3–5] and emotional disorders [6–8].”
BackgroundObsessive-compulsive disorder in children and adolescents
Rapoport, J. L. (1989) · American Psychiatric Press eBooks · Cited by 417 · see citing works
ADHD With Comorbid Anxiety: A Review of the Current Literature
Schatz, D. B., & Rostain, A. L. (2006) · Journal of Attention Disorders · doi:10.1177/1087054706286698 · Cited by 407 · see citing works
Psychiatric Disorders in Norwegian 8- to 10-Year-Olds
HEIERVANG, E., STORMARK, K. M., LUNDERVOLD, A. J., HEIMANN, M., GOODMAN, R., POSSERUD, M.-B., ULLEBØ, A. K., PLESSEN, K. J., BJELLAND, I., LIE, S. A., et al. (2007) · Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry · doi:10.1097/chi.0b013e31803062bf · Cited by 392 · see citing works
Self-citationPosserud, M., Lundervold, A. J., & Gillberg, C. (2006) · Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry · doi:10.1111/j.1469-7610.2005.01462.x · Cited by 307 · see citing works
Self-citationKadesj�, B., Janols, L., Korkman, M., Mickelsson, K., Strand, G., Trillingsgaard, A., & Gillberg, C. (2004) · European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry · doi:10.1007/s00787-004-3002-2 · Cited by 250 · see citing works
Self-citationMezulis, A. H., Hyde, J. S., & Abramson, L. Y. (2006) · Developmental Psychology · doi:10.1037/0012-1649.42.6.1012 · Cited by 241 · see citing works
An Epidemiologic Study of Gilles de la Tourette's Syndrome in Israel
Apter, A. (1993) · Archives of General Psychiatry · doi:10.1001/archpsyc.1993.01820210068008 · Cited by 196 · see citing works
Evidence of an early information processing speed deficit in unipolar major depression
TSOURTOS, G., THOMPSON, J. C., & STOUGH, C. (2002) · Psychological Medicine · doi:10.1017/s0033291701005001 · Cited by 150 · see citing works
Stormark, K. M., Heiervang, E. R., Heimann, M., Lundervold, A. J., & Gillberg, C. (2007) · Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology · doi:10.1007/s10802-007-9187-3 · Cited by 108 · see citing works
Self-citationProcessing Speed in Children With Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Inattentive Type
Weiler, M. D., Bernstein, J. H., Bellinger, D. C., & Waber, D. P. (2000) · Child Neuropsychology · doi:10.1076/chin.6.3.218.3156 · Cited by 104 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Furthermore, poor results on such tests have been related to both behavioural [3–5] and emotional disorders [6–8].”
BackgroundObsessive-compulsive disorder in children and adolescents. Clinical guidelines
Thomsen, P. H. (1998) · European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry · doi:10.1007/s007870050038 · Cited by 44 · see citing works
Intelligence and Specific Cognitive Abilities in Children
Tillman, C. M., Bohlin, G., Sørensen, L., & Lundervold, A. J. (2009) · Journal of Individual Differences · doi:10.1027/1614-0001.30.4.209 · Cited by 29 · see citing works
Self-citationIntellectual Deficits in Children with ADHD Beyond Central Executive and Non-Executive Functions
Tillman, C. M., Bohlin, G., Sorensen, L., & Lundervold, A. J. (2009) · Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology · doi:10.1093/arclin/acp075 · Cited by 27 · see citing works
Self-citation
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
What cognitive processes are “sluggish” in sluggish cognitive tempo?
Kofler, M. J., Irwin, L. N., Sarver, D. E., Fosco, W. D., Miller, C. E., Spiegel, J. A., & Becker, S. P. (2019) · Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1037/ccp0000446 · Cited by 61 · see citing works
Attention Deficits in Children With Combined Autism and ADHD: A CPT Study
Lundervold, A. J., Stickert, M., Hysing, M., Sørensen, L., Gillberg, C., & Posserud, M.-B. (2016) · Journal of Attention Disorders · doi:10.1177/1087054712453168 · Cited by 55 · see citing works
Self-citationBarkley, R. A., Willcutt, E., & Jacobson, L. A. (2022) · The ADHD Report · doi:10.1521/adhd.2022.30.2.1 · Cited by 27 · see citing works
Kim, K., & Kim, H.-J. (2021) · International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.ijchp.2020.08.003 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
Wiggs, K. K., Froehlich, T. E., & Becker, S. P. (2023) · CNS Drugs · doi:10.1007/s40263-023-00999-5 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
Peterson, R. K., Jones, K., & Jacobson, L. A. (2021) · Child Neuropsychology · doi:10.1080/09297049.2021.1917529 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
- Authors
- Lundervold, A. J., Posserud, M.-B., Ullebø, A.-K., Sørensen, L., & Gillberg, C.
- Affiliations
- University of Bergen (NO)
- Haukeland University Hospital (NO)
- Corresponding author
- Lundervold, Astri J.
- Venue
- European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
- Published
- 2010-12-29
- Volume
- 20
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 121-126
- ISSN
- 1018-8827 (ISSN-L)
- 1435-165X
- PMC
- PMC3046358
- OpenAlex
- W2152408041
- Cited by
- 26
- References
- 27
- Citations by year
- 2023: 2 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 1 · 2016: 3 · 2015: 1 · 2014: 3 · 2013: 5 · 2012: 2
- FWCI
- 1.96
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- cc-by-nc
- Locations
- European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- NORA - Norwegian Open Research Archives (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- Funders
- Norges Forskningsråd
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology › Developmental and Educational Neuropsychology
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
- Keywords
- processing speed, teacher reports, elementary school students, Processing Speed Index, WISC-III
- MeSH terms
- Child, Cognition, Faculty, Female, Humans, Intelligence Tests, Male, Neuropsychological Tests, Surveys and Questionnaires, Logistic Models, Hypokinesia
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
