Task demands interact with the single and combined effects of medication and contingencies on children with ADHD.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate single and combined effects of stimulant medication and contingencies on the performance of ADHD children with tasks involving different cognitive demands.


METHODS
Children diagnosed with ADHD participated in a within-subjects design. At two separate sessions, children on either medication or placebo (administered in a double-blind fashion) completed two tasks, a match-to-sample task and a stop-signal task, under three conditions (reward, response cost, and no contingency) in a counterbalanced order.


RESULTS
Contingencies and medication administered singly improved performance on both tasks. For the match-to-sample task, the combination of medication and contingencies was more efficacious than either alone. For the stop-signal task, the combination of medication and reward was no more effective than either alone; however, medication and response cost combined was more effective than either treatment alone.


CONCLUSIONS
Results suggest that both medication and contingencies improve task performance. The findings suggest that task demands interact with single and combined treatment effects.
Tamm
Leanne
L
Children's Hospital of Orange County and University of California, Irvine, CA, USA.
Carlson
Caryn L
CL
D001288:Attention / Q000187:drug effects*; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D004193:Discrimination Learning / Q000187:drug effects*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007266:Inhibition, Psychological; D008297:Male; D008774:Methylphenidate / Q000737:chemistry / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual / Q000187:drug effects*; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000187:drug effects; D013237:Stereoisomerism; D014040:Token Economy
D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants; D008774:Methylphenidate