Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurobehavioral disorder characterized by inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity, with prevalence rates in children and adolescents, and to a lesser extent in adults (Frankelin et al., 2017; Seli, Smallwood, Cheyne, & Smilek, 2015). According to investigators, ADHD symptomology such as mind wandering—the unintentional shifting of attention from a primary task to an unrelated task—is reported to have implications on cognitive performance (Franklin et al., 2017; Seli et al., 2015).
Currently in the media, fidget spinners are presented as a means to enhance focus during cognitively demanding tasks by providing the sufficient arousal to keep the brain engaged, without producing an off-task episode (Doron, 2017). However, surmounting evidence suggests that the novelty of the fidget spinner is causing inattention. Therefore, I argue that fidget spinners cause mind wandering as a result of inattention and should not be used by people with ADHD. …show more content…
(2015) there is an emerging distinction between two types of mind wandering: spontaneous and deliberate. The former reflects a failure of executive control, whereas the latter suggests the engagement of controlled processes. This distinction is clinically significant in the diagnosis of ADHD because spontaneous mind wandering is a central feature of ADHD symptomology (Seli et al., 2015). Franklin et al. (2017) suggest that individuals with ADHD or related symptomology are unable to strategically wander on tasks due to a lack of higher-level control processes (Franklin et al., 2017). This is detrimental to participants with ADHD because while control participants are able to incur the cost of task switching, those with ADHD are unable to engage higher-level control processes to control mind-wandering
Currently in the media, fidget spinners are presented as a means to enhance focus during cognitively demanding tasks by providing the sufficient arousal to keep the brain engaged, without producing an off-task episode (Doron, 2017). However, surmounting evidence suggests that the novelty of the fidget spinner is causing inattention. Therefore, I argue that fidget spinners cause mind wandering as a result of inattention and should not be used by people with ADHD. …show more content…
(2015) there is an emerging distinction between two types of mind wandering: spontaneous and deliberate. The former reflects a failure of executive control, whereas the latter suggests the engagement of controlled processes. This distinction is clinically significant in the diagnosis of ADHD because spontaneous mind wandering is a central feature of ADHD symptomology (Seli et al., 2015). Franklin et al. (2017) suggest that individuals with ADHD or related symptomology are unable to strategically wander on tasks due to a lack of higher-level control processes (Franklin et al., 2017). This is detrimental to participants with ADHD because while control participants are able to incur the cost of task switching, those with ADHD are unable to engage higher-level control processes to control mind-wandering