Arousal, Time Estimation, and Time Use in Attention-Disordered Children

Abstract

To assess whether increased arousal would differentially affect time estimation in attention-disordered and normal English teenagers, 2 videotapes (1 of a police car chase [Bombadier, 1994] for high arousal and another of cell division [ITV, 1991] for low arousal) were shown. Self-reported arousal levels strongly correlated with pulse-rate change. Attention-disordered students estimated longer times in the low-arousal condition than normal students but not in the high-arousal condition. This evidence supports the cortical underarousal hypothesis as the basis for attention disorder. Compared to normal students, such children were poorer in use of time but better in imagery-based creativity tasks in high-arousal conditions. It would appear that attention-disordered children are unable to self-motivate in low-arousal situations.