Comparison of the effect of selected chess training programs on working memory, inhibition and attention of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: with emphasis on inhibition and non-inhibition

The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of selected chess training programs on working memory, inhibition and attention of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: with emphasis on inhibition and non-inhibition. In this study, 30 children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder were randomly divided into three groups of chess training with inhibition (10 people), chess training without inhibition (10 people) and control (10 people). The training program of the subjects was three sessions a week for four weeks of chess training with and without inhibition, respectively, for the groups of chess training with inhibition and chess training without inhibition. Data were analyzed through one-way analysis of variance at a significance level of P≤0.05. In all three components, chess training groups (with and without inhibition) showed a significant difference (P≤0.05). Also, there was a significant difference between the two chess training groups (with and without inhibition) (P≤0.05). It was shown that both methods of teaching chess (with and without inhibition) had a significant effect on working memory, inhibition and attention of children with hyperactivity disorder and attention deficit disorder. It seems that chess training can improve the performance of these children and also the inhibition approach can be considered as a new approach to be used as an intervention for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.