Examining Relationships Between Executive Functioning and Delay Aversion in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Open accessAbstract
Although motivation and cognition are often examined separately, recent theory suggests that a delay-averse motivational style may negatively impact development of executive functions (EFs), such as working memory (WM) and response inhibition (RI) for children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD; Sonuga-Barke, 2002 Sonuga-Barke , E. ( 2002 ). Psychological heterogeneity in AD/HD—A dual pathway model of behaviour and cognition . Behavioural Brain Research , 130 ( 1–2 ), 29 – 36 .[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). This model predicts that performance on delay aversion and EF tasks should be correlated for school-age children with ADHD. However, tests of these relationships remain sparse. Forty-five children ages 8 to 12 with ADHD and 46 non-ADHD controls completed tasks measuring EFs and delay aversion. Children with ADHD had poorer WM and RI than non-ADHD controls, as well as nonsignificantly worse delay aversion. Consistent with previous research, RI was not related to delay aversion. However, delay aversion did predict WM scores for children with and without ADHD. Implications for the dual-pathway hypothesis and future research on cognitive and motivational processing in ADHD are discussed.
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Effect sizes for delay aversion are largest in younger samples.
“as it has been argued that effect sizes for delay aversion are largest in younger samples (e.g., Karalunas & Huang-Pollock, 2011).”
From Multiple deficits in ADHD: executive dysfunction, delay aversion, reaction time variability, and emotional deficits (2013) · cites this paper as Karalunas & Huang-Pollock, 2011
One possible explanation for the lack of group differences for delay aversion is the age of the sample, as effect sizes for delay aversion are largest in younger samples.
“One possible explanation for our lack of group differences for delay aversion is the age of our sample, as it has been suggested effect sizes for delay aversion are largest in younger samples (Karalunas & Huang-Pollock, 2011).”
From Multiple deficits in ADHD: executive dysfunction, delay aversion, reaction time variability, and emotional deficits (2013) · cites this paper as Karalunas & Huang-Pollock, 2011
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Emotion Dysregulation in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Shaw, P., Stringaris, A., Nigg, J., & Leibenluft, E. (2014) · American Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1176/appi.ajp.2013.13070966 · Cited by 1,232 · see citing works
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“The inconsistencies in previous findings may be related to age, as it has been argued that effect sizes for delay aversion are largest in younger samples (e.g., Karalunas & Huang-Pollock, 2011).”
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Karalunas, S. L., Gustafsson, H. C., Dieckmann, N. F., Tipsord, J., Mitchell, S. H., & Nigg, J. T. (2017) · Journal of Abnormal Psychology · doi:10.1037/abn0000292 · Cited by 104 · see citing works
Self-citationHolst, Y., & Thorell, L. B. (2017) · Journal of Attention Disorders · doi:10.1177/1087054713506264 · Cited by 46 · see citing works
Bolden, J., Rapport, M. D., Raiker, J. S., Sarver, D. E., & Kofler, M. J. (2012) · Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology · doi:10.1007/s10802-012-9619-6 · Cited by 34 · see citing works
- Authors
- Karalunas, S. L., & Huang-Pollock, C. L.
- Affiliations
- Pennsylvania State University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Karalunas, Sarah L.
- ORCID
- Karalunas, Sarah L.
- Venue
- Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2011-11
- Volume
- 40
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 837-847
- ISSN
- 1537-4416 (ISSN-L)
- 1537-4424
- PMC
- PMC4649931
- OpenAlex
- W1969240757
- Cited by
- 44
- References
- 20
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 1 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 2 · 2014: 5 · 2013: 4 · 2012: 3
- FWCI
- 2.50
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute of Mental Health (F31MH086206, R03MH075731)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology › Developmental and Educational Neuropsychology
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Keywords
- attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, executive function, delay aversion, working memory, response inhibition, dual-pathway model, motivation, children
- MeSH terms
- Attention, Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity, Child, Female, Humans, Inhibition, Psychological, Male, Memory, Short-Term, Neuropsychological Tests, Time Factors, Executive Function
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