Effects of methylphenidate (Ritalin) on information processing in hyperactive children.

The effect of methylphenidate on information-processing efficiency was studied in 12 hyperactive, nonretarded children. Performance on six efficiency tasks (Posner Letter Matching, Reaction Time, Memory Search, Category Verification, Item Identification, and Word-Span) and a general measure of on-task behavior were compared for children receiving methylphenidate or a placebo. The median drug dosage was .38 mg/kg, and it was ingested 1 1/2 hours prior to testing. Children blind to the drug-placebo condition were tested on 4 days. In general, methylphenidate-related improvements in attention to on-task behaviors were found. An overall analysis of processing speed suggested that methylphenidate improved efficiency. Methylphenidate significantly decreased reaction times to simple and complex stimulus arrays; differences due to the drug remained even when on-task attentive behaviors were statistically removed. Significantly fewer identification errors occurred on the Posner task in the methylphenidate condition. Results indicated that methylphenidate improved general attentional behaviors and positively influenced processes that define perceptual efficiency.