An Examination of the Specificity of Motivation and Executive Functioning in ADHD Symptom-Clusters in Adolescence

Motivation and executive functioning are central to the etiology of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Furthermore, it has been hypothesized that motivation should show specificity of association with ADHD-impulsivity/hyperactivity symptoms, whereas executive functioning should show sp...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of pediatric psychology 2013-11, Vol.38 (10), p.1081-1090
Main Authors: LOPEZ-VERGARA, Hector I, COLDER, Craig R
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity - classification
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity - physiopathology
Attention deficit disorders. Hyperactivity
Biological and medical sciences
Child clinical studies
Executive Function - physiology
Female
Humans
Impulsive Behavior - physiopathology
Inhibition (Psychology)
Male
Medical sciences
Motivation - physiology
Neuropsychological Tests
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Punishment - psychology
Regular
Reward
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Summary:Motivation and executive functioning are central to the etiology of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Furthermore, it has been hypothesized that motivation should show specificity of association with ADHD-impulsivity/hyperactivity symptoms, whereas executive functioning should show specificity of association with ADHD-inattention symptoms. This study tests this specificity-hypothesis and extends previous research by conceptualizing motivation to include both reactivity to reward and punishment. Executive functioning was assessed using two different laboratory measures (the Wisconsin-Card-Sort and Stop-Signal Tasks) and motivation was measured using a laboratory measure of sensitivity to reward and punishment (the Point-Scoring-Reaction-Time Task). Findings suggested specificity of association between executive functioning and symptoms of inattention, and between motivation and symptoms of impulsivity/hyperactivity. However, support varied across indices of executive functioning. Results provide support for multiple component models of ADHD symptoms and extend the literature by providing a theoretically based conceptualization of motivation grounded on developmental neuroscience models of motivated behavior.
ISSN:0146-8693
1465-735X
DOI:10.1093/jpepsy/jst050