title: An examination of the specificity of motivation and executive functioning in ADHD symptom-clusters in adolescence.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  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.
  
  
  METHODS
  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).
  
  
  RESULTS
  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.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  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.
authors.affiliation: 219 Park Hall, Department of Psychology, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY 14260, USA. hilopez2@buffalo.edu.
authors.forename: Hector I
authors.initials: HI
authors.lastname: Lopez-Vergara
authors.forename: Craig R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Colder
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000145:classification* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D056344:Executive Function / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007175:Impulsive Behavior / Q000503:physiopathology; D007266:Inhibition, Psychological; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation / Q000502:physiology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011678:Punishment / Q000523:psychology; D012201:Reward
keywords: ADHD; executive functioning; motivation; punishment; reinforcement sensitivity; reward