Behavioral inhibition model
Summary
- Barkley's model: knowing what to do may not lead to planned action. Immediate circumstances outweigh plans held in mind.
- Barkley advises keeping goals, rules, and the next action visible during tasks instead of relying on memory.
- Not everyone has inhibition difficulties; normal executive function tests do not rule out everyday problems.
Knowing what to do is different from using it in the moment
Proposed in research
Barkley’s model proposes that the core difficulty in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is not a lack of knowledge about what to do. When acting, people with ADHD are more influenced by immediate circumstances and consequences, and less by plans, rules, and time held in mind(Barkley, 1997).
The model starts with behavioral inhibition: pausing before responding, stopping an ongoing response, and blocking competing interference. It proposes that these abilities give plans held in mind a chance to guide the next action(Barkley, 1997).
Goals and the next action belong where the task happens
Proposed in research
Barkley recommends putting key information outside the mind instead of relying on memory(Barkley & Benton, 2021). For example, the current goal and next action can be written on a sticky note at the screen’s edge, always in view.
The model proposes that visible cues guide behavior more effectively than plans held in mind(Barkley, 1997). Making time visible is externalizing time; moving distractions out of sight is reducing external distractions.
Not everyone has inhibition difficulties
Research-backed
A study used multiple tests to assess inhibition, set shifting, and working memory separately in children ages 8–13. In this ADHD sample, 27% had impaired inhibition and 38% impaired set shifting(Kofler et al., 2019).
Another study in children found that inhibition, time judgment, and waiting difficulties occurred separately. Their co-occurrence did not exceed chance(Sonuga-Barke et al., 2010). A meta-analysis of 83 child studies also found that not everyone with ADHD has executive function weaknesses(Willcutt et al., 2005).
Normal test results do not rule out everyday difficulties
Proposed in research
Executive function tests and ratings of everyday behavior often emphasize different aspects. A review of 20 studies found a median correlation of 0.19 between them, a weak association(Toplak et al., 2013).
A study followed hyperactive children to about age 27. Among those whose ADHD persisted, most reported impairment in everyday executive functioning, but few showed impairment on tests. Everyday ratings also predicted difficulties at work more accurately than tests did(Barkley & Fischer, 2011).
The original model excludes people who mainly daydream or mind wander
Proposed in research
Barkley’s 1997 model covered only the hyperactive-impulsive and combined types. It explicitly excluded the predominantly inattentive group. He described people in this group as often daydreaming, “in a fog,” slow to respond, and seemingly low in energy(Barkley, 1997).
People whose main difficulty is this kind of daydreaming and mind wandering should not expect this model to describe their experience.
Evidence
Emerging evidence
References (7)
- TheoryBehavioral inhibition, sustained attention, and executive functions: Constructing a unifying theory of ADHDBarkley RA (1997). Psychological Bulletin
- BookTaking Charge of Adult ADHD: Proven Strategies to Succeed at Work, at Home, and in RelationshipsBarkley RA, Benton CM (2021). Guilford Press
- Cohort studyExecutive Functioning Heterogeneity in Pediatric ADHDKofler MJ, Irwin LN, Soto EF, Groves NB, Harmon SL, Sarver DE (2019). Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology
- Cohort studyBeyond the dual pathway model: evidence for the dissociation of timing, inhibitory, and delay-related impairments in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorderSonuga-Barke E, Bitsakou P, Thompson M (2010). Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
- Meta-analysisValidity of the executive function theory of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: A meta-analytic reviewWillcutt EG, Doyle AE, Nigg JT, Faraone SV, Pennington BF (2005). Biological Psychiatry
- ReviewPractitioner review: do performance-based measures and ratings of executive function assess the same construct?Toplak ME, West RF, Stanovich KE (2013). Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry
- Cohort studyPredicting impairment in major life activities and occupational functioning in hyperactive children as adults: self-reported executive function (EF) deficits versus EF testsBarkley RA, Fischer M (2011). Developmental Neuropsychology