The relations of inattention and hyperactivity to academic cheating in adolescents with executive functioning problems

Abstract 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 2 = 0.20). We also found that the positive relation between inattention and cheating was mediated by hyperactivity.