Response Inhibition and ADHD
Visual Abstract
Effects of reward and response costs on inhibition in ADHD children
How Rewards and Penalties Impact ADHD Kids' Self-Control
Iaboni F, Douglas VI, Baker AG
Summarized by:
Charles Li, MD
January 29, 2024
study source
J Abnorm Psychol
1995 Feb
🔎
What they studied
They looked at how rewards and penalties affect kids with ADHD's ability to stop themselves from responding impulsively.
💡
What they found
Kids with ADHD made more mistakes than other kids, especially as tasks got harder over time.
👩⚕️
Why it matters
This suggests that kids with ADHD might struggle more with self-control as tasks get more challenging.
Objectives
This study looked into how rewards and the cost of responding affect 19 kids with ADHD and 17 kids who don't have ADHD when it comes to stopping themselves from responding. The idea was to see if giving something good (a reward) or making something not-so-good happen (a response cost) would affect how these kids could control their actions.
Study Quote
This study examined effects of reward and response costs on the ability of 19 attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and 17 control children to inhibit responding.
Methods
In this research, kids were tested using a particular task that measures how well they can stop themselves from doing something when they're not supposed to. The kids went through four different types of situations while doing this task. Two situations involved getting something good for doing well and losing something if they didn't. One situation was just about losing something for not doing well, and one was just about getting something good for doing well.
Study Quote
Children were tested under 4 reinforcement conditions on a go/no-go learning task developed by J. P. Newman, C. S. Widom, and S. Nathan (1985). Two conditions involved both reward and response costs. 1 response costs only, and 1 reward only.
Results
It turned out that the kids with ADHD made more mistakes by responding when they weren't supposed to, compared to the kids without ADHD, no matter what the situation was. But, what was even more interesting was that as the task went on, the difference between the two groups got bigger. This means that the kids with ADHD had a more challenging time learning from the task and controlling their responses as it got more challenging. Here's some info that shows the errors and how things changed over time:
Study Quote
ADHD children made more commission errors than controls across the 4 conditions. Analyses of learning curves indicated that group differences became larger on later trials. Thus, impaired inhibition was more generalized in ADHD children than in the psychopaths and extraverts studied by N...
Show More
Conclusions
The study found that kids with ADHD had a more challenging time stopping themselves from responding compared to kids without ADHD, and this got more noticeable as they had to learn and adapt during the task. Both good things (like rewards) and not-so-good things (like losing something) were part of the study, showing how they influenced the kids' ability to control themselves. Over time, it became more apparent that kids with ADHD faced more challenges in this area. Here's a visual summary that captures the main points:
Study Quote
Impaired inhibition was found in ADHD children compared to control children, and it was more pronounced as learning increased across trials.
Key Takeaways
ADHD and self-control challenges
Kids with ADHD struggle more with self-control, especially as they need to keep improving on tasks.
Impact of rewards and penalties
Rewards and penalties affect ADHD kids' behavior, but they still face more challenges than other kids.
Increasing difficulty reveals more
As tasks get harder, the self-control issues in kids with ADHD become more noticeable.
Context
The findings from this study add to what we already know about ADHD and how it can make it tough for kids to control their actions and make decisions, especially when they have to wait or learn from their mistakes. Other studies, like the ones by Marco et al. and Wodka EL et al., have also shown that kids with ADHD face unique challenges when it comes to decision-making and controlling their responses. These studies together help us understand more about ADHD and how it affects kids' behavior and choices.