Skip to main content
Article
Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disordered Boys' Evaluations of and Attributions for Task Performance on Medication Versus Placebo
Psychology Faculty Publications
  • Richard Milich, University of Kentucky
  • Barbara G. Licht, Florida State University
  • Debra A. Murphy, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic
  • William E. Pelham, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic
Abstract

The present study examined the effects of stimulant medication on the self-evaluations of and attributions for task performance of 26 attention-deficit hyperactivity disordered boys. Each boy performed a continuous performance task twice, once while on medication and once while on placebo. Immediately following the completion of the task, the boys were asked a series of questions concerning their self-evaluations of, and attributions for, their performance. Two findings of note were obtained. First, medication, compared with placebo, increased the correspondence between the boys' self-evaluations and their performance. Second, the boys did not use medication as a frequent explanation for their performance, as others have predicted. In fact, the boys picked medication as an explanation for their successes significantly less often than either effort or ability.

Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-1989
Disciplines
Citation Information
Richard Milich, Barbara G. Licht, Debra A. Murphy and William E. Pelham. "Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disordered Boys' Evaluations of and Attributions for Task Performance on Medication Versus Placebo" (1989)
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/richard_milich/37/