Social Information Processing of Positive and Negative Hypothetical Events in Children With ADHD and Conduct Problems and Controls

Brendan F. Andrade, Daniel A. Waschbusch, Amelie Doucet, Sara King, Maura MacKinnon, Patrick J. McGrath, Sherry H. Stewart, Penny Corkum

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

37 Scopus citations

Abstract

Objective: This study examined social information processing (SIP) of events with varied outcomes in children with ADHD and conduct problems (CPs; defined as oppositional defiant disorder [ODD] or conduct disorder [CD]) and controls. Method: Participants were 64 children (46 boys, 18 girls) aged 6 to 12, including 39 with ADHD and 25 controls. Vignettes were developed that systematically varied with regard to peer intention (ambiguous, negative, positive) and event outcome (ambiguous, negative, positive), and were used to evaluate participants' SIP abilities (cue encoding, interpretation, and response generation). Results: Results showed that, after controlling for CPs, children with ADHD detected fewer positive, negative, and neutral cues; attributed more negative and less positive intent to peers; focused less on situational outcomes of vignettes; and generated fewer positive responses compared with the control group. Conclusion: These results indicate that children with ADHD differ from non-ADHD children, even after controlling for CPs, in how they process positive and negative social experiences. (J. of Att. Dis. 2012; 16(6) 491-504).

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)491-504
Number of pages14
JournalJournal of Attention Disorders
Volume16
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 2012

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Developmental and Educational Psychology
  • Clinical Psychology

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