The effects of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder on fixations and saccades during a simulated driving task

Individuals who have Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) experience adverse effects relating to driving; in addition, they experience deficits in scanning ability (Barkely et.al, 1996; Fischer et al., 2007; Munoz et al., 2003; Naja-Raja et al., 2007). The present study examined the effects of ADHD on eye tracking while driving. Ten participants consisting of both ADHD and individuals who do not have ADHD were included in this study. It was hypothesized that individuals who have ADHD will make more saccadic eye movements and thus shorter fixations than individuals who do not have ADHD. Furthermore, it was hypothesized that despite the fact that individuals who have ADHD will make more saccadic eye movements than individuals without ADHD, those individuals with ADHD will commit more traffic violations including collisions compared to individuals who do not have such a diagnosis. Findings indicated that hypothesis one was not supported by the data, whereas hypothesis two was supported in that ADHD individuals had more collisions and committed more traffic violations than the Control group. Additionally, upon conducting a Chi Square test for independence, a significant difference was found in the spatial distributions of the fixations between the ADHD and Control groups. The findings of this study could help better understand the factors involved in ADHD driving and could be used to train individuals with ADHD to become more aware of their surroundings and driving habits and thus become safer drivers