Name
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Author Note
Student number:
Tutor’s name:
Group number: 7
Name of the course: Philosophy and Psychology
Filing date: 1 October, 2023
Word count: 835
, In the present study, Hoogman et al. (2017) employed sophisticated neuroimaging
methods and extensive statistical analysis to comprehensively examine the genetic foundations
of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, communicating the results to the
broader public was not successful. Firstly, Hoogman et al. (2017) made a main conclusion
indicating a substantial difference in brain size between those with ADHD and those without the
disorder. ADHD was identified as a neurodevelopmental condition affecting the brain. How the
primary result is presented may lead individuals to perceive those children diagnosed with
ADHD have impaired developmental processes. There is a potential for an increase in the stigma
associated with ADHD. Secondly, the translation of the findings also had some statistical
reporting errors. An IQ assessment was conducted in order to ascertain if children diagnosed
with ADHD have divergent IQ scores in comparison to the control group. It was observed that
the average IQ score of ADHD children was almost equivalent to or even higher than the average
IQ score of the control group. Although it is essential data contradicting the idea that ADHD is
an abnormal development, the authors did not make these statistics accessible to the audience
(Corrigan, 2021). Overall, the study conducted by Hoogman et al. (2017) has presented the
observed minor effect size, which pertains to a discrepancy in average brain volume, in a way
that may mislead a broader range of individuals. Moreover, studies that might undermine the
established conclusion about the correlation between brain volume and IQ scores have been
excluded.