The Comparison of Reaction Time and Risky Decision Making in Children with ADHD and Normal Children

Document Type : Original Article

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Abstract

One of the important cognitive impairments that Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder can be associated with, is the defect in the process of decision-making or risky decision- making. The aim of this study was to compare the performance of groups with different types of ADHD with normal children at the risky decision making process. The methodology of this research was descriptive and placed among the correlational researches. The study population included 10 to 15 years old children with ADHD disorder referred to Salamat-e Ravan Clinic (Dr Mohammadi) & Rouzbeh Hospital of Tehran. Finally 45 patients were chosen purposefully among the community members (15 patient for each types of ADHD) And 20 normal children were chosen conveniently to participate in the study. Participants were diagnosed by a psychiatrist and based on DSM-5 diagnostic criteria and by Conner's Parent Rating Scale. To assess the performance of risky decision-making, Iowa gambling task (IGT) was used. Data were analyzed using one way ANOVA and by SPSS Statistics software package version 23. The results demonstrated that children with each of three types of ADHD compared to normal children are more likely to make risky decisions and also, hyperactivity and impulsivity (p<.05) are stronger predictors for risky decision-making than others.

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