title: Decision-making in social contexts in youth with ADHD.
abstract: This study examined reward-related decision-making in children and adolescents with ADHD in a social context, using economic games. We furthermore examined the role of individual differences in reward-related decision-making, specifically, the roles of reward sensitivity and prosocial skills. Children and adolescents (9-17 years) with ADHD-combined subtype (n = 29; 20 boys) and healthy controls (n = 38; 20 boys) completed the ultimatum game and dictator game as measures of reward-related decision-making in social contexts. Prosocial skills were measured with the Interpersonal Reactivity Index. The ADHD group had a larger discrepancy between ultimatum game and dictator game offers than controls, indicating strategic rather than fairness driven decisions. This finding was supported by self-reports showing fewer individuals with ADHD than controls who considered fairness as motive for the decisions. Perspective taking or empathic concern did not differ between groups and was not significantly associated with offers. In conclusion, the results suggest that rather than a failure to understand the perspective of others, children and adolescents with ADHD were less motivated by fairness than controls in simple social situations. Results encourage the use of economic games in ADHD research.
authors.affiliation: Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. I.Ma@donders.ru.nl.|Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. I.Ma@donders.ru.nl.
authors.forename: Ili
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.|Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Nanda N J
authors.initials: NN
authors.lastname: Lambregts-Rommelse
authors.affiliation: Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.|Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Jan K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Buitelaar
authors.affiliation: Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Antonius H N
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Cillessen
authors.affiliation: Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Anouk P J
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Scheres
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D003657:Decision Making; D004467:Economics; D005260:Female; D005717:Games, Experimental; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D012201:Reward
keywords: ADHD; Decision-making; Motivation; Social