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The relative validity of a computer attention test and teacher rating scales to predict attention deficit disorder and other diagnostic categories
Abstract
This study examined the ability of the Microcomputer Test of Attention (MTA) alone, and in combination with the Conners Abbreviated Teacher Rating Scale (CATRS), supplemental ratings during the MTA administration, achievement scores, and IQ scores to predict Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) groupings (attention deficit, diagnoses other than attention deficit, and no diagnosis). These measures were also used to predict Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity (ADDH) and Attention Deficit Disorder without Hyperactivity (ADD) groupings. An investigation was conducted of the ability of these measures and the Achenbach Teacher's Report Form (TRF) and Direct Observation Form (DOF) to predict school label groupings (seriously emotionally disturbed (SED), learning disabled (LD) and no school label). The overlap between the DSM labelling system and the PL 94-142 system (the national school labelling system) was also explored. Subjects were 65 male adolescents selected from a sample of 487 children participating in the Behavior Disorders Research Project, a three-year federally funded project conducted in Lincoln, NE. Results provide further validation for the MTA; it was able to successfully predict DSM groupings, relating well to the other measures. A combination of variables was the best predictor of DSM groups, lending support for the advantage of multimodal assessment of attention deficit disorder. The TRF was the most expedient and accurate predictor of school groupings. The DSM and PL 94-142 categories were found to overlap in this sample. Though ADD and ADDH groups could be reliably distinguished, they did not appear to differ greatly. The CATRS, a measure widely criticized as a measure of aggression instead of hyperactivity, was the best predictor of ADD and ADDH groups and related most strongly to the MTA. Questions are raised as to whether hyperactive, conduct disordered, and inattentive children can be reliably distinguished as separate groups. It is suggested that these measures may be tapping into an umbrella construct which could be called "Bothersome."
Subject Area
Psychotherapy|Educational psychology|Educational evaluation|Psychological tests
Recommended Citation
Prescott, Diana Lee, "The relative validity of a computer attention test and teacher rating scales to predict attention deficit disorder and other diagnostic categories" (1992). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI9233415.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI9233415