Altered motivational processing is purported to contribute to ADHD symptoms. A stronger preference for immediate over delayed reward is well documented in ADHD. However, little attention has been paid to children's capacity to withhold responding until a "better" reward becomes available, and their actions while waiting. Using a novel computer task, we examine the ability of children with and without ADHD to wait to collect a large reward in the presence of a small available reward. The effects of a reward-predicting cue on response times and response choices are also explored. Data from 136 children (6-12 years), 90 with ADHD and 46 typically developing (TD) children, are included. The children could collect a small immediately available reward or wait to access a larger reward after a variable delay, its imminent availability sometimes signaled by a cue. Subsequent probe trials explored the effects of longer waiting times and disruption of the cue-reward association. As expected, children with ADHD collected the small immediately available reward more often than TD children. Importantly, they were more likely to terminate waiting once commenced, collecting the small reward or attempting to collect the large reward early. The cue decreased their response time but disrupted their waiting when it no longer consistently predicted reward. Children with ADHD were more likely to abandon efforts to wait, especially when wait times were extended and when expected rewards failed to appear. Behavioral interventions for ADHD should take into account reduced waiting capacity that extends beyond children's preference for immediate reward.
Objective: To identify common and shared predictors of academic achievement across samples of children with ADHD. Method: Two clinically referred samples from New Zealand (1 n = 88, 82% boys; 2 n = 121, 79% boys) and two community samples from the United States (3 n = 111, 65% boys; 4 n = 114, 69% boys), completed similar diagnostic, cognitive and academic assessments. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses identified significant predictors of word reading, spelling, and math computation performance in each sample. Results: Entered after IQ, semantic language, age at testing, and verbal working memory emerged as consistent predictors of achievement across academic subjects and samples. Visual-spatial working memory contributed to variance in math performance only. Symptom severity explained limited variance. Conclusions: We recommend evaluations of children with ADHD incorporate assessments of working memory and language skills. Classroom/academic interventions should accommodate reduced working memory and address any identified language weaknesses.
The purpose of this study was to examine the treatment effects of the Incredible Years Teacher Classroom Management (IY TCM), a universal classroom management intervention, on the outcomes of children with aggressive behavior in elementary school. Classroom management has been demonstrated as a factor in either escalating children's aggressive behavior or decreasing those problematic behaviors. Participants included 1,817 students (Grade K to 3) and 105 teachers from nine elementary schools in a large urban Midwestern school district. Teachers were randomly assigned to receive IY TCM or to a wait-list comparison group. The hypotheses were that baseline levels of aggression would moderate the relationship between intervention status and outcomes. Findings indicated the hypothesized moderation effect on several outcome variables; specifically, children with baseline aggression problems who were in IY TCM classrooms had significantly improved math achievement, emotional regulation, prosocial behaviors, and observed aggression in comparison to similar peers in the control classrooms. Implications for practice and future research based on the findings are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
Taiwanese international students are among 1 of the top 10 international populations on American campuses; thus, more research is needed to address the particular issues related to their transition process. This is among the first studies to empirically test the cross-national cultural competence model as a conceptual framework by examining predictors and outcome variables associated with cultural competence, which was measured by cultural intelligence (CQ). The study examined (a) the associations of CQ with predictors, such as personality factors (i.e., perseverance, curiosity, and exploration), immersion experiences (i.e., social connectedness with mainstream and ethnic community, perceived language discrimination, length of stay, subjective and objective English proficiency), and cultural reflection; (b) the relationships between CQ and psychological adjustment (i.e., satisfaction with life, depression, anxiety); and (c) the mediation role of CQ between the personality/immersion experiences/cultural reflection factors and indices of psychological adjustment. The sample consisted of 121 Taiwanese international students studying in the United States. Results indicate that (a) personality, immersion experiences, and cultural reflection factors, except TOEFL scores, were significantly correlated with level of CQ; (b) CQ was significantly associated with both satisfaction with life and depression but not anxiety; and (c) CQ significantly mediated the relationships between several predictors (i.e., personality, immersion experiences, and cultural reflection factors) and satisfaction with life. Correlations among predictors and CQ subscales were also highlighted. Limitations, practical implications, and future directions were also discussed.
This study compared 5 scoring methods in terms of their statistical assumptions. They were then used to score the Teacher Observation of Classroom Adaptation Checklist, a measure consisting of 3 subscales and 21 Likert-type items. The 5 methods used were (a) sum/average scores of items, (b) latent factor scores with continuous indicators, (c) latent factor scores with ordered categorical indicators using the mean- and variance-adjusted weighted least squares estimation method, (d) latent factor scores with ordered categorical indicators using the full information maximum likelihood estimation method, and (e) multidimensional graded response model using the Bock-Aitkin expectation-maximization estimation procedure. Measurement invariance between gender groups and between free/reduced-price lunch status groups was evaluated with the second, third, fourth, and fifth methods. Group mean differences based on the 5 methods were calculated and compared.