title: Social information processing of positive and negative hypothetical events in children with ADHD and conduct problems and controls.
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.
  
  
  METHODS
  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.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  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.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada. brendan_andrade@camh.net
authors.forename: Brendan F
authors.initials: BF
authors.lastname: Andrade
authors.forename: Daniel A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Waschbusch
authors.forename: Amelie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Doucet
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: King
authors.forename: Maura
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: MacKinnon
authors.forename: Patrick J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: McGrath
authors.forename: Sherry H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Stewart
authors.forename: Penny
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Corkum
mesh_terms: D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D019955:Conduct Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D010379:Peer Group; D012938:Social Perception