Error-related negativity in students with ADHD in a virtual reality task and brain-computer-interface context

Nowicki, Theodor (2024) Error-related negativity in students with ADHD in a virtual reality task and brain-computer-interface context. Research Master thesis, Research Master.

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Abstract

The present study examines the error-related negativity (ERN) in students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) symptoms. As a new approach we studied ERN in a virtual reality (VR) study-related environment and a brain-computer interfaces (BCI) context to increase ecological validity. Our research question was whether a decreased ERN in students with ADHD symptoms can be found during a VR task inspired by the executive functions task the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test. Recent meta-analyses have found an overall decreased ERN in people with ADHD (Bellato et al., 2021; Lutz et al., 2021). We, thus, hypothesized to find a decreased ERN in the ADHD group compared to controls. In total 18 datasets of students were collected and assigned to either ADHD or control group based on scores on the Conners' Adult ADHD Rating Scales. The participants had to complete a VR sorting task in which study-related objects had to be sorted by either colour or shape according to feedback given by the target object lighting up green or red. The intentional errors to elicit ERN were feedback errors, during which wrong feedback was displayed as well as freezing errors, which inhibited participants from moving the sorting object in the VR environment. We found a slightly decreased ERN in the ADHD group with a medium-sized effect, which, however, was not statistically significant. Due to the practical significance suggested by the effect size, we encourage further research on studying the implementation of VR in neuropsychological tasks and training to increase ecological validity. Keywords: error-related activity, ADHD, VR, brain-computer interfaces

Item Type:	Thesis (Research Master)
Supervisor name:	Enriquez Geppert, S. and Sburlea, A.I.
Degree programme:	Research Master
Differentiation route:	Clinical Psychology and Clinical Neuropsychology [Research Master]
Date Deposited:	31 Jan 2024 11:23
Last Modified:	31 Jan 2024 11:23
URI:	http://gmwpublic.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/3065

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