E-ISSN : 2733-4538
The purpose of the present study was to compare 1) expectation of task performance and 2) the attributional style of boys with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder with those of age matched normal control boys. ADHD group consisted of 20 boys in the 5th & 6th grade in the elementary school with Abbreviated Conners Teacher Rating Scale (ACRS) score above 17. Another group of 20 boys in the same grade with ACRS score lower than 10 consisted Normal Control group. Two groups were given a modified version of picture arrangement subtest of KEDI-WISC in groups of 10. Following the task, ADHD & Normal Control group were divided into two groups : Success feedback group and Failure feedback group. The results showed that there were no significant differences between the two groups in the expectation of task performance. ADHD boys were less likely to attribute success outcomes to their ability than normal boys and were more likely to attribute failure outcomes to their ability and effort than their counterparts. ADHD group was also less consistent than normal controls in their attribution. These results together suggest that ADHD boys showed negative bias in their attribution, particularly following failure experience, a cognitive bias often seen among depressed group. However, unlike depressed individuals ADHD group in the present study overestimated their performance, which indicates their negative cognitive bias might not be as organized as in the depressed group.