ERIC Number: EJ928627
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2011-Mar
Pages: 9
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0021-9630
EISSN: N/A
Delay Discounting of Reward in ADHD: Application in Young Children
Wilson, Vanessa B.; Mitchell, Suzanne H.; Musser, Erica D.; Schmitt, Colleen F.; Nigg, Joel T.
Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, v52 n3 p256-264 Mar 2011
Background: A key underlying process that may contribute to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) involves alterations in reward evaluation, including assessing the relative value of immediate over delayed rewards. This study examines whether children with ADHD discount the value of delayed rewards to a greater degree than typically developing children using a delay discounting task. Methods: Children aged 7-9 years diagnosed with ADHD and controls completed a task in which they chose between a hypothetical $10 available after a delay (7, 30, 90 and 180 days) versus various amounts available immediately. Results: ADHD participants discounted more steeply than controls. However, this effect did not survive covarying of IQ. Conclusions: ADHD is associated with a steeper delay gradient when contemplating hypothetical later rewards, but not independently of IQ. The interplay of cognitive processing and IQ with reward evaluation in ADHD requires further exploration.
Descriptors: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Intelligence Quotient, Rewards, Children, Task Analysis, Control Groups, Correlation, Cognitive Processes
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A