Psychology

Ten Minutes to Deception: Faking ADHD After a Brief Ten-Minute Internet Search

Document Type

Poster Presentation

Location

Indianapolis, IN

Subject Area

Psychology

Start Date

13-4-2018 8:30 AM

End Date

13-4-2018 10:00 AM

Description

Research has revealed that adults can feign symptoms of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) on self-report symptom checklists. Individuals seeking university academic accommodations or psychostimulant medications may be particularly prone to attempted deception on these types of checklists. This is particularly problematic when one considers that primary care physicians routinely use these types of checklists in diagnosing ADHD. The present study attempted to establish the ease with which college students can “fake” attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder on symptom checklists. Fifty college students were randomly assigned to two groups. Students were directed to complete an internet search on a mobile device on two topics. Students were allowed ten minutes to research each topic. Half of the research participants researched attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and one of three topics unrelated to ADHD, i.e., a past president of the Czech Republic, Vaclav Havel, the Zika virus, and the sport of Irish hurling. The remaining research participants completed internet searches on two of the three unrelated topics. All research participants were then asked to “fake” attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder on an ADHD symptom checklist. Research participants also completed a quiz on the other unrelated topics.

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Apr 13th, 8:30 AM Apr 13th, 10:00 AM

Ten Minutes to Deception: Faking ADHD After a Brief Ten-Minute Internet Search

Indianapolis, IN

Research has revealed that adults can feign symptoms of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) on self-report symptom checklists. Individuals seeking university academic accommodations or psychostimulant medications may be particularly prone to attempted deception on these types of checklists. This is particularly problematic when one considers that primary care physicians routinely use these types of checklists in diagnosing ADHD. The present study attempted to establish the ease with which college students can “fake” attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder on symptom checklists. Fifty college students were randomly assigned to two groups. Students were directed to complete an internet search on a mobile device on two topics. Students were allowed ten minutes to research each topic. Half of the research participants researched attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and one of three topics unrelated to ADHD, i.e., a past president of the Czech Republic, Vaclav Havel, the Zika virus, and the sport of Irish hurling. The remaining research participants completed internet searches on two of the three unrelated topics. All research participants were then asked to “fake” attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder on an ADHD symptom checklist. Research participants also completed a quiz on the other unrelated topics.