Internal consistency and discriminant validity of a delay-discounting task with an adult self-reported ADHD sample.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this research was to evaluate the reliability and discriminant validity of a behavioral task of impulsivity, the delay-discounting task.


METHODS
Young adults were asked to report ADHD diagnostic status and to complete the delay-discounting task. The internal consistency of the task was determined, task performances of individuals with and without self-reported ADHD were compared, and the ability of this task to discriminate between participants with and without self-reported ADHD was assessed.


RESULTS
The delay-discounting task showed very good to excellent internal consistency. Furthermore, participants with self-reported ADHD responded to the task in a more impulsive manner than did non-ADHD participants. Finally, moderate discriminant validity for detecting self-reported ADHD using this task was found.


CONCLUSIONS
Findings showed that the delay-discounting task is a promising task for both clinical research and practice as it has strong reliability overall and has moderate discriminant ability for self-reported ADHD in young adults.
Hurst
Ruth M
RM
University of North Carolina Wilmington, Wilmington, NC 28403, USA. hurstr@uncw.edu
Kepley
Hayden O
HO
McCalla
Marjorie K
MK
Livermore
Melissa K
MK
D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D003657:Decision Making; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007175:Impulsive Behavior; D008297:Male; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012201:Reward; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult