Response style differences in the inattentive and combined subtypes of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

J Abnorm Child Psychol. 2008 Jul;36(5):745-58. doi: 10.1007/s10802-007-9207-3. Epub 2008 Jan 3.

Abstract

This study examined potential differences between the inattentive and combined ADHD subtypes using laboratory tasks assessing behavioral inhibitory processes. Seventy-five children completed two tasks of behavioral inhibition believed to isolate different processes: the cued reaction time task (CRT), a basic inhibition task, and the go/no-go task (GNG), a complex inhibition task that incorporates motivational contingencies. Three groups of participants were identified, including ADHD/Inattentive (n = 17), ADHD/Combined (n = 37), and comparison (n = 21). Results indicated that rather than showing behavioral inhibition deficits, the ADHD/I children appeared overly inhibited, as evidenced by slower reaction times across the two tasks and significantly higher errors of omission in the GNG task. Additionally, the ADHD/I children did not demonstrate cue dependency effects on the CRT task, suggesting that they were failing to incorporate relevant information before making a response. The sluggish and inhibited performance of the ADHD/I group challenges the idea that it is a subtype of ADHD.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / classification*
  • Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / diagnosis*
  • Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / psychology
  • Child
  • Cognition Disorders / classification
  • Cognition Disorders / diagnosis
  • Cognition Disorders / psychology
  • Diagnosis, Differential
  • Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Inhibition, Psychological
  • Male
  • Motivation
  • Neuropsychological Tests / statistics & numerical data
  • Personality Assessment / statistics & numerical data*
  • Psychometrics / statistics & numerical data
  • Reaction Time
  • Reproducibility of Results