The Relations of Inattention and Hyperactivity to Academic Cheating in Adolescents with Executive Functioning Problems

We examine the relationships of executive functioning problems (EFP) to academic cheating in a sample of 855 adolescents. Participants completed assessments of inattention, hyperactivity, and depression using the BASC-2, as well as peer-reports of externalizing behavior. After controlling for known predictors of cheating (e.g., demographics and depression), multiple regression analyses indicated that inattention emerged as a predictor of greater cheating behaviors (R[superscript 2] = 0.20). We also found that the positive relation between inattention and cheating was mediated by hyperactivity.