Attentional lapse and inhibition control in adults with Williams Syndrome.
Adults with Williams Syndrome show stronger inhibition and sustained-attention problems than typical ageing, so build pause cues and short tasks into sessions.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team gave adults with Williams Syndrome a simple computer task.
They had to press a key when numbers appeared, but hold back when a rare target showed up.
The test measured how long they could stay focused and stop wrong responses.
They compared the WS group to same-age adults and to older adults without WS.
What they found
The WS group made far more slip-ups than both comparison groups.
They hit the key when they should have held back, showing weak inhibition.
Their minds also wandered more, missing targets that needed a response.
These problems were bigger than the small lapses seen in normal ageing.
How this fits with other research
Eussen et al. (2016) later used eye-tracking and saw no extra capture by upside-down faces in WS.
That seems opposite, but the tasks differ: the 2013 paper tests self-control, the 2016 paper tests what grabs attention first.
Fahmie et al. (2013) found WS adults struggle to look away from faces, matching the idea that once their attention lands, it sticks.
McCarron et al. (2013), also from 2013, showed WS people looked at faces less while judging feelings, reminding us attention patterns vary by task.
Why it matters
If you work with adults who have Williams Syndrome, plan for short work bursts.
Add clear stop-signals or visual cues to help them brake responses.
Check attention often and give quick resets before errors snowball.
These small tweaks honor real cognitive limits shown on lab tests.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Research exploring cognitive processing associated with Williams Syndrome (WS) has suggested that executive functioning deficits exist across the developmental spectrum. Such executive functions include problem solving, planning, dividing attention and inhibiting responses. Within a framework of executive functions, the aim of the current study was to explore attentional lapse and inhibition skills in older adults with WS (n=20; aged 36-61 yr) and consider the implications of deficits within this group. Participants with WS were compared to typical adults of the same chronological age and typical older adults (aged 65+yr) to consider attentional changes seen in the ageing process. The study employed a sustained attention to response task known to assess inhibition and attentional lapse but which had not previously been used with this population. Compared to both groups of typical matches, the results indicated atypicalities of attention and inhibition in adults with WS. Specifically, compared to the typical matches, adults with WS failed to withhold a response (showing inhibition deficits), had problems re-engaging attentional control processes after making an error and showed a generalised deficit of concentration and task engagement. We conclude that further attention should be paid to the cognitive capacity of older individuals with WS in order to consider the everyday challenges faced by this group and to provide adequate intervention and support for daily living.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2013 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2013.08.041