Tested the hypothesis that inflated self-assessments offered by children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) serve a self-protective function. This was accomplished by examining the effects of positive feedback on self-perceptions and social interactions of boys with ADHD and comparison boys. Boys with ADHD and comparison boys, 8 to 11 years old, were paired in 60 dyads and interacted in two unstructured cooperative tasks. Following the first interaction, 1 boy in half of the dyads received positive feedback, supposedly from his partner, concerning his performance. Results indicated that following the first interaction, but prior to feedback, boys with ADHD had an overly positive view of how much their partner liked them. However, following the second interaction, boys with ADHD who received positive feedback actually showed a significant decrease in their self-perceptions, whereas comparison boys who received feedback showed an increase. These results are seen as supportive of the self-protective hypothesis that children with ADHD offer inflated self-perceptions to counter feelings of inadequacy. When presented with positive feedback, they are able to relax this defensive posture and offer more realistic self-assessments.

This study explored influences of story structure properties on recall of story events by children with and without attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Participants listened to and retold 2 stories. Two properties of the stories' causal structure were derived: the number of causal connections an event has to other events and whether an event is on the causal chain linking events from beginning to end. The extent to which causal properties and the more subjective property of perceived importance predicted recall in the 2 groups of children was examined. Each property predicted recall, but there were group differences in sensitivity to causal structure that were moderated by intelligence level and gender. Variations in amount and allocation of cognitive resources applied to comprehension contributed to performance of children with ADHD. There are implications for understanding academic and social difficulties common in children with ADHD.

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