Date of Submission

2019

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Department

Psychology

Department Chair

Robert A DiTomasso, PhD, ABPP

First Advisor

Bradley M Rosenfield, PsyD

Second Advisor

Susan M Panichelli Mindel, PhD

Third Advisor

J Russell Ramsay, PhD

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the validity and reliability of the Quotient ADHD System (the Quotient) as a tool for the assessment of adult ADHD. At the time of this study, the Quotient was a widely accepted measure, yet there was a paucity of empirical evidence for its use with adults. This study reviewed the relationship between adult participants’ (N = 151) scores on two self-reported measures, the Barkley Deficits in Executive Functioning Scale (BDEFS) and the Barkley Adult ADHD Rating Scale – IV (BAARS-IV), and the Quotient at a university-based ADHD-specialty outpatient clinic in a large city in the Northeastern U.S. It was predicted that participants’ scores on the self-report measures would correlate with and predict the behavioral correlates of ADHD, the latter as measured by the Quotient. The present study determined that the Global Scaled Score metric of the Quotient correlates with the Total Executive Functioning (EF) Summary Score of the BDEFS and the ADHD Total Score of the BAARS-IV. Furthermore, this study found a significant, positive correlation between the Motion Scaled Scores of the Quotient and the ADHD Hyperactivity scale on the BAARS-IV. Additionally, through a post-hoc analysis, a correlation was found between the Inattention Scaled Scores of the Quotient and the Self-Restraint scale on the BDEFs. These findings may lend support that some of the core characteristics of ADHD, such as inattention and impulsivity, are less accurately measured by continuous performance tests (CPTs), while the behavioral traits of hyperactivity are more accurately captured by CPTs.

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