The Effect of Spatial Scale on the Variables of Attention of Eight- to Twelve-Year Old Children with Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder

This study investigated the effects of scale-reduced environments on measures of attention for children with Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). A theory of experimental space-time relativity proposes that small-scaled spaces alter one's temporal experience which can in turn improve the efficiency of that individual's information processing. The independent variable was a scale-reduced space. The dependent variable was the Test of Variables of Attention (T.O.V.A., Greenberg, 1987). The purpose of the study was to demonstrate that a simple, harmless, drug-free intervention could improve an ADHD child's ability to attend to information and perform by altering the child's temporal experience. It was hypothesized that the ADHD children would perform better in a scale-reduced environment when compared to a larger environment.

The sample included 14 children, ages 8 to 12 years, with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). Eleven of the children were previously diagnosed with ADHD, while 3 were designated ADD without hyperactivity. In a counter balanced experimental design, subjects were randomly assigned to one of two groups. The groups were exposed to the two conditions (small or large space) in alternating order to control for regression toward the mean and novelty effects. The method of data collection was a computerized continuous performance test called the Test of Variables of Attention (T.O.V.A.). The T.O.V.A. was administered and scored by the computer.

Experimental space-time relativity theorizes that spatial scale relationships affect temporal experience, which can alter information processing. Scale-reduced environments offer assistance to all, young and old, with or without ADD. They are inexpensive, harmless, and can be available for use by all children in a classroom or home. The results of this study indicate that scale-reduced environments can provide the occasion for more efficient information processing and altered attention spans.