a Psychology , York University , Toronto , ON , Canada.
b Child Youth and Emerging Adult Program , Margaret and Wallace McCain Centre for Child Youth and Family Mental Health, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health , Toronto , ON , Canada.
J Clin Exp Neuropsychol. 2019 Jul;41(5):445-459. doi: 10.1080/13803395.2019.1567694. Epub 2019 Feb 4.
Executive functions (EFs) have been assessed with performance-based measures and rating scales. Research has shown a lack of association between these two methods. One factor that might contribute to this difference is the structure provided on performance-based measures that is not provided on rating scales. This study examined the role of structure on self-directed task completion, an aspect of EF, using a novel unstructured performance-based task (UPT).
Children aged 8-12 years (38 attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, ADHD; 42 typically developing) and their caregivers participated. We compared performance on the UPT, performance-based measures of EF (Stroop test and Trail-Making Test), and a rating scale to assess EF (Barkley Deficits in Executive Functioning Scale-Children and Adolescents, BDEFS-CA).
Group differences were found across all measures. Significant associations emerged between the UPT and Stroop test, Trail-Making Test, and BDEFS-CA, but no significant associations were found between the Stroop test or Trail-Making Test and the BDEFS-CA. In regression analyses, performance-based tasks and the rating scale both uniquely predicted UPT performance. The UPT was a significant predictor of group status when entered with performance-based tasks, but the UPT did not enter as a significant predictor when entered with the rating scale.
The UPT is a promising measure to assess self-directed task completion in children with ADHD.
执行功能（EF）已通过基于表现的测量和评分量表进行评估。研究表明，这两种方法之间缺乏关联。一个可能导致这种差异的因素是基于表现的测量中提供的结构在评分量表中没有提供。本研究使用一种新颖的非结构化基于表现的任务（UPT），考察了结构对自我指导任务完成（EF 的一个方面）的作用。
8-12 岁的儿童（38 名注意力缺陷/多动障碍，ADHD；42 名正常发育）及其照顾者参加了研究。我们比较了 UPT、EF 的基于表现的测量（Stroop 测试和Trail-Making 测试）以及用于评估 EF 的评分量表（Barkley 执行功能缺陷量表-儿童和青少年，BDEFS-CA）的表现。
所有测量指标均显示出组间差异。在 UPT 与 Stroop 测试、Trail-Making 测试和 BDEFS-CA 之间均发现了显著的关联，但在 Stroop 测试或 Trail-Making 测试与 BDEFS-CA 之间未发现显著关联。在回归分析中，基于表现的任务和评分量表均能独立预测 UPT 的表现。当与基于表现的任务一起输入时，UPT 是组间状态的显著预测因子，但当与评分量表一起输入时，UPT 并未作为显著的预测因子进入。
UPT 是一种很有前途的评估 ADHD 儿童自我指导任务完成的测量方法。
