1Attribution and Self-Evaluation of Continuous Performance Test Task Performance in Medicated and Unmedicated Adults With ADHD

Objective: To determine if adults with ADHD differed from children with ADHD, in assessing their performance on the Conners Continuous Performance Test (CPT). Method: ADHD-diagnosed adults (n = 13) and adults without ADHD (n = 17) were tested twice on the CPT and then completed self-evaluation and attribution surveys. Results: Nonmedicated ADHD-diagnosed adults performed significantly more poorly than controls; when medicated, they performed as well as controls and significantly better than when they were unmedicated. ADHD adults evaluated their performance accurately, whether medicated or not. They also attributed their performance to medication significantly more than to ability or task difficulty. Conclusion: Unlike children, ADHD-diagnosed adults attributed their performance to medication rather than ability or task. It remains to be seen whether this difference is associated with lower self-esteem than non-ADHD adults or if the same outcome would occur in children with ADHD if they were also tested under naturalistic conditions. (J. of Att. Dis. XXXX; XX(X) xx-xx