Abstract
Effects of stimulant medication (methylphenidate) on levels (feature, name, semantic) of word processing by the left and right hemisphere were assessed in 31 attention- deficit- disordered children. In a double-blind procedure, same- different decisions were made to tachistoscopically presented word pairs under medication and placebo. Analysis of manual response times failed to show any negative effects of medication. Feature decisions were faster than name decisions, which were faster than semantic decisions. Methylphenidate induced a right visual field advantage (left hemisphere) for the name decision, which was interpreted as a normalization effect. The results suggest that (1) methylphenidate may selectively improve the phonological level of word processing and (2) methylphenidate's favorable therapeutic effect is produced through inhibition of excessive right hemisphere activity in response to task demands that engage the left hemisphere.
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This research is based in part upon a doctoral thesis completed by the first author in the Department of Education, University of Toronto. The authors thank Dr. William Logan and Dr. Wendy Roberts of the Hospital for Sick Children for permitting testing of patients in the Child Development Clinic. This research was supported in part by a doctoral fellowship from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council to the first author.
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Malone, M.A., Kershner, J.R. & Siegel, L. The effects of methylphenidate on levels of processing and laterality in children with attention deficit disorder. J Abnorm Child Psychol 16, 379–395 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00914170
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00914170