Dr. Kim Cornish – Cornish Research Team, McGill University

Attention, Inhibitory Control and Reading - Research Project

In this study, we are employing a newly developed battery of computerized tasks to tease apart the impact of specific deficits in subcomponents of inhibitory control on early reading skills in a community sample of young school-age boys and girls (aged 6-8 years). These subcomponents of inhibitory control involve: deliberately stopping or suppressing an on-going response that is not appropriate to the successful achievement of the task at hand; deliberately suppressing thoughts that interfere with focusing on the task at hand such as when reading; and the suppression of conflicting information that competes with the target task.

A developmental study of this kind is important because:

specific patterns of inhibitory control may differentially impact across different reading processes; and
gender differences in reading and attention may impact on early skills in inhibitory control.

This information is crucial for the early identification and implementation of pedagogical interventions to support children with comorbid reading and attention problems such as Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) combined type and predominantly Inattentive only type.

How to Participate (Families): Please contact Shohreh Rezazadeh at Shohreh.M.Rezazadeh@mail.McGill.ca or (514) 398-2450
How to Volunteer (Graduate Students): We require that volunteers have at least some prior experience in working with children. Relevant training is provided. Please contact Shohreh Rezazadeh directly at Shohreh.M.Rezazadeh@mail.McGill.ca