Sluggish Cognitive Tempo and Speed of Performance

Objective: This study examined whether college students who reported higher levels of sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT) symptoms were actually more “sluggish” in their performance while completing speeded cognitive and academic measures. Method: College students ( N = 253) completed self-reports of SCT and their reading and test-taking abilities as well as tests of processing speed, reading fluency, and reading comprehension. Results: Across all variables, SCT symptoms were most significantly associated with self-reported difficulty on timed reading tasks. However, students with high SCT scores were not significantly slower than controls on any of the timed tasks. Conclusion: In college students, self-reports of high SCT levels do not suggest actual slow performance on cognitive and academic tasks.

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Test-Taking Speed: Predictors and Implications

Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment ◽

10.1177/0734282916639462 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 35 (4) ◽

pp. 351-360 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Benjamin J. Lovett ◽

Lawrence J. Lewandowski ◽

Heather E. Potts

Keyword(s):

Reading Comprehension ◽

Reading Fluency ◽

Processing Speed ◽

Testing Accommodations ◽

Future Research ◽

Task Completion ◽

Extended Time ◽

Test Taking ◽

Comprehension Task ◽

Self Reports

Students often feel time pressure when taking tests, and students with disabilities are sometimes given extended time testing accommodations, but little research has been done on the factors that affect students’ test-taking speed. In the present study, 253 students at two colleges completed measures of processing speed, reading fluency, and self-reports of their reading and test-taking skills, as well as a standardized paper-and-pencil reading comprehension task. The time taken to complete the reading comprehension task was not significantly related to students’ accuracy on the task, but it was predicted by students’ reading fluency and by their self-reports of problems with timed reading/test-taking. Students’ processing speed did not significantly predict comprehension task completion time or accuracy when reading fluency and self-reports were held constant. We discuss the implications of these and other results for making determinations about extended time testing accommodations, as well as for future research studies.

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Differential Diagnosis of Sluggish Cognitive Tempo Symptoms in College Students

Journal of Attention Disorders ◽

10.1177/1087054719896856 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 108705471989685

Author(s):

Benjamin J. Lovett ◽

Whitney L. M. Wood ◽

Lawrence J. Lewandowski

Keyword(s):

College Students ◽

Sleep Quality ◽

Substance Misuse ◽

Sleep Problems ◽

Sluggish Cognitive Tempo ◽

Poor Sleep ◽

Depression And Anxiety ◽

Poor Sleep Quality ◽

Clinically Significant ◽

Cognitive Tempo

Objective: Sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT) refers to a set of symptoms that prior research has found to be related to several different psychological disorders, especially the predominantly inattentive presentation of ADHD. This study collected evidence relevant to the question of whether SCT is a distinct disorder. Method: College students ( N = 910) completed measures of SCT, ADHD, depression, anxiety, sleep quality, and substance misuse. Results: Students reporting clinically high SCT (reporting at least five symptoms often or very often) had significantly higher levels and rates of other types of psychopathology. Moreover, when students reporting clinically significant levels of ADHD, depression, and anxiety symptoms, poor sleep quality, or hazardous levels of alcohol or cannabis use were removed, very few students reporting high SCT remained (only 4.8% of the original high-SCT group). Conclusion: SCT may be best thought of as a symptom set common to many types of psychopathology, and it may be caused by sleep problems or substance misuse as well.

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Predicting the Extended Time Use of College Students With Disabilities

Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment ◽

10.1177/0734282919848588 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 38 (3) ◽

pp. 279-290

Author(s):

Laura M. Spenceley ◽

Whitney L. M. Wood ◽

Marisa Valentino ◽

Lawrence J. Lewandowski

Keyword(s):

College Students ◽

Reading Comprehension ◽

Students With Disabilities ◽

Rating Scales ◽

Test Accommodations ◽

Extended Time ◽

Group Setting ◽

Test Taking ◽

Comprehension Task ◽

College Students With Disabilities

This study investigated the extent to which standardized reading performance, individual perceptions of reading and test taking skills, and test anxiety predict the amount of extended time needed to equalize test access for college students with disabilities. Thirty-seven college students with a specific learning disorder (LD) and/or an attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnosis who received university test accommodations were recruited to participate in this study, along with 37 controls. All participants individually completed standardized reading tests and rating scales, and a timed reading comprehension task in a group setting. Results indicated that participants receiving test accommodations utilized approximately 14% more time than control participants to complete the timed reading task. Regression analyses indicated that the differences in time required to complete the reading comprehension task were related to participants’ reading fluency and decoding, as well as perceptions of the strength of their reading and test taking skills.

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Sluggish Cognitive Tempo is Associated With Poorer Study Skills, More Executive Functioning Deficits, and Greater Impairment in College Students

Journal of Clinical Psychology ◽

10.1002/jclp.22406 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 73 (9) ◽

pp. 1091-1113 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Andrew J. Flannery ◽

Aaron M. Luebbe ◽

Stephen P. Becker

Keyword(s):

College Students ◽

Executive Functioning ◽

Study Skills ◽

Sluggish Cognitive Tempo ◽

Executive Functioning Deficits ◽

Cognitive Tempo

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Peripheral Vision Training in Reading Speed and Comprehension

Perceptual and Motor Skills ◽

10.2466/pms.1975.41.3.761 ◽

1975 ◽

Vol 41 (3) ◽

pp. 761-762 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

A. Louise Sailor ◽

Steve E. Ball

Keyword(s):

College Students ◽

Reading Comprehension ◽

Peripheral Vision ◽

Reading Speed ◽

Trained Group ◽

Speed Reading ◽

Group Reading ◽

Experimental Group

Of two groups of 8 college students receiving 15.75 hr. of speed reading training, an experimental group was given an additional 2.25 hr. of peripheral vision training. Peripheral vision increased for both groups, but reading speed improved only in the trained group. Reading comprehension scores were not affected.

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