Development of a Wearable Camera to Measure Blink Rates and Attention in Adolescent Females (Poster 19)

• In Event: Thursday Poster Session 10:50 am
  In Poster Session: Division D Poster Session 1

Abstract

This paper describes the development of wearable glasses for the measurement of attention using blink rates. The device was validated in both laboratory and classroom conditions. A validation study was conducted on adolescent females, comparing an ADHD group with a non-ADHD group, and comparing a low-attention activity to a high-attention activity. In the non-ADHD group, blink rates matched their expected levels: higher while attentive and lower while inattentive. Subjects with diagnosed ADHD had blink rates that largely and clearly differed from the pattern in the non-ADHD group. Because ADHD in females often manifests as inattention, results indicate strong promise for the use of this unique, inexpensive and practical device as a diagnosis tool for ADHD, particularly for females.

Authors

• Caroline Fall, Azusa Pacific University

• Luella Hood, University of California - Berkeley

• Emily Manookian, University of California - Irvine