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Biomedical subjects

S S Zentall

Publications and source records attributed to S S Zentall.

8 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1990

Behavioral comparisons of liked and disliked hyperactive children in play contexts and the behavioral accommodations by their classmates.

This study examined the behavioral differences among liked and disliked hyperactive children and their normal peers during joint activities. 25 hyperactive children and 39 normal control subjects were selected and observed in high- and low-structured play settings (counterbalanced for order) in one of 3 dyadic groupings (10 liked hyperactive children, each with a control; 15 disliked hyperactive children, each with a control; and 7 control-control pairs). For the most part, the differences observed did not depend on setting or gender comparisons. Hyperactive children were more active, talkative, and physically off-task than their peers, but they made fewer positive social statements. Disliked hyperactive children made more negative statements with accompanying negative physical interactions. Specifically, in response to disliked hyperactive children, normal partners became more negative and active, were less talkative and cooperative, and engaged in more solitary play than when playing with other normal children.

Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity↗
PubMed1988

Production deficiencies in elicited language but not in the spontaneous verbalizations of hyperactive children.

Setting and task conditions were assessed for their effects on the language of hyperactive children. Verbal data were recorded for 22 hyperactive children and 22 elementary-age controls during four storytelling tasks and transitions, and under two conditions of a nonverbal performance task in a counterbalanced order. Findings were that hyperactive children were more spontaneously talkative than their classmates during transitions and nonverbal tasks (nonelicited conditions) but were less talkative when they were asked to tell stories (elicited conditions). These findings and those attributable to the story comparisons were interpreted in line with the optimal stimulation theory, which suggests that minimal stimulus input (delays and nonelicited conditions) precipitate excessive verbal activity from hyperactive children. Production deficiencies, on the other hand, were specific to type of stimulus input to be processed. Stories requiring organization and planning without the external structure or salience of visual cues (a sequence of word cards or pictures) produced production deficiencies.

Achievement↗
PubMed1987

Self-regulation of stimulation for ADD-H children during reading and vigilance task performance.

The present study examines the hypothesis that motor responses added into rote tasks would modulate the sensation-seeking activity and impulsive errors of hyperactive (ADD-H) children. To this purpose 22 ADD-H and 25 comparison children were administered two repetitive tasks (word decoding and an auditory vigilance task) under both an active response and a passive response condition. Findings were that the impulsive errors, talking/noisemaking, and activity of ADD-H children was normalized (i.e., did not differ from comparison children) only in the high stimulation active response conditions. Behavioral improvements for ADD-H children were documented in both tasks in the active condition, but performance gains were found only in the vigilance task. The findings supported predictions derived from the optimal stimulation theory that the excessive activity and attraction to novel stimuli of ADD-H children can be channeled into appropriate instrumental motor and attention responses.

Arousal↗
PubMed1979

Rating scales for hyperactivity: concurrent validity, reliability, and decisions to label for the Conners and Davids Abbreviated Scales.

Rating scales have become the instrument of choice in labeling and assessing change in behavior of hyperactive children. However, several criticisms have recently have levied against their use. The present investigation examined the concurrent validity, and inter- and intrarater reliability for the Abbreviated Teacer Questionnaire (ATQ, Conners, 1973) and the Rating Scales for Hyperkinesis (Davids, 1971). Sixteen teachers from two special and two regular schools (grades 1-4) rated 211 normal and 49 special children using both scales. High correlations were found suggesting excellent predictability between scales and considerable stability across time and rater. Lower scores on a subsequent rating relative to an initial rating were demonstrated, dependent on time between ratings but independent of (a) teacher expectation of treatment gains, (b) bias produced by rating selected children, and (c) whether children were hyperactive or normal. Use of initial and infrequent rating scores versus subsequent, closely spaced ratings was related to the rater's objective (e.g., diagnosis, treatment, or assessment).

Child↗