Blogsignment - Research Update

After scouring the Internet for information on the causes of ADHD, I came across some insights that support the argument for genetics as the main factor. If a trait is genetic, adopted children should resemble their biological relatives more closely than they do their adoptive relatives. Studies conducted by psychiatrist Dr. Dennis Cantwell compared adoptive children with hyperactivity to their adoptive and biological parents. Hyperactive children resembled their biological parents more than they did their adoptive parents with respect to hyperactivity. I think that the research done by Cantwell was very useful and relevant. I am leaning more and more towards the genetics POV. In fact, there is an overwhelming amount of evidence for this side of the argument.

Prospectus Update

After doing some research on ADHD, I feel satsified with my current topic. I am still interested in the cause(s) of ADHD because it is often debated. Some argue genetics; others contend that the disorder is acquired after conception. Most agree that though there is no cure, affective treatments are available, including medication and counseling.

In Class Exercise I

Topic Area: Causes of ADHD

Primary research Question: What causes ADHD?

Why is there a debate on the answer to this question?

What are the opposing theories?

In-Class exercise III
1. I went to UNC library website and used academic search premier to find articles about ADHD.
3. I felt overwhelmed, excited, and relieved that there was a lot of information
2. I thought that there was a lot of information irrelevant to my topic. I was also unable to find any articles that were focused on my area of interest.

Reminder

bring hard copy of topic to class

Kulthau's Theory and Information Need

Kulthau's theory makes sense. I've just begun researching the topic, and I have realized that I know very little about it. I have experienced the uncertainty and anxiety that Kulthau mentioned in the article. Kulthau explains that people use team resources in the first stages of information process because they experience these feelings, and I think it makes perfect sense.
As far as information need, I think that there is a lot of information about ADHD out there. ADHD as a keyword brought about 35,400,000 hits on yahoo. I'll have to figure out which websites are legitimate and accurate, and also find good articles and books on the library website. As I mentioned in the previous post, i'll move to researching the debate on the causes of ADHD once I have a decent grasp of the disorder.