Research on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder using the covert orienting paradigm of Posner

Abstract

Posner's covert orienting of attention paradigm has been used in many studies in the cognitive neuroscience literature to study attention. We found 9 studies in which it was used to study attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, but findings were not consistent. We present a tutorial about the paradigm's methodology and then review the studies. It emerges that much of the inconsistency evident can be attributed to procedural variations. We conclude that across the 9 studies, 2 variables-overall slowing and right hemisphere dysfunction-differentiated attention-disordered persons from controls. We then offer a set of guidelines, which should help facilitate realization of the paradigm's promise in generating profiles representing different syndromes within the general classification of attention disorders.