Executive Functions and Self-Regulation Among Children With and Without ADHD in Germany and Taiwan
Condition: Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
MeSH terms: Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity
Study type: Observational

Summary: 
      Children and adolescents with ADHD are impulsive and have difficulties in regulating their
      behaviors. It has been suggested that a core deficit in inhibitory control may account for
      dysfunctional behaviors associated with this disorder. Previous research has shown that
      medication and the self-regulation strategy of making implementation intentions (i.e.,
      if-then plans) are effective in enhancing children's inhibitory control, which is reflected
      in the behavioral as well as electrophysiological (e.g., Electroencephalogram; EEG) data on a
      Go/NoGo task in children with ADHD. As suggested by earlier research, however, forming
      implementation intentions may have different effects on people who are embedded in different
      cultures.

      The aim of the present study is to compare the effects of medication and the self-regulation
      of forming implementation intentions by assessing the behavioral performance and
      corresponding brain activity during a Go/NoGo task in children and adolescents with and
      without ADHD under two different cultural contexts. Further, this study also aims at
      investigating the potential moderating effects of culture on making if-then plans. More
      important, as we know, this will be the first study to compare the effectiveness of forming
      implementation intentions on children and adolescents with ADHD in a cross-cultural way,
      which is meaningful for researchers to explore the degree of its application and expected to
      provide clinical psychologists an alternative perspective for ADHD treatment in the near
      future.
    

Detailed description: 
      For a deeper understanding of the mechanism underlying the effects of MPH and implementation
      intentions, neurophysiological data (with a special interest on the P300 component) during a
      Go/NoGo task will be assessed additionally to the behavioral performance (i.e., response
      times and error rates). Meanwhile, the information may contribute to a better understanding
      of a potential influence of culture on the effect of implementation intentions. The effect
      may be equally effective in the cultures, but the underlying processes might still differ. On
      the other hand, differences between the two cultural groups might be explained by different
      neurophysiological activity during the tasks.

      Two primary research questions arise: (1) Are MPH and implementation intentions (i.e.,
      if-then plans) effective in enhancing the performance of executive function tasks measured by
      the Go/NoGo task in children and adolescents with ADHD compared with those without ADHD
      within each culture? (2) Does culture play a role in moderating the effect of implementation
      intentions on executive function tasks in children and adolescents with ADHD, respectively?
      Based on the research questions, two hypotheses are formulated. First, after the treatment of
      MPH and the self-regulation strategy of forming implementation intentions, it would result in
      less inhibition errors and more increased amplitudes of NoGo P300 and NoGominusGo P300 in
      children and adolescents with ADHD. Second, participants with ADHD in Taiwan may benefit more
      from the self-regulation strategy, which is reflected in more increased amplitudes of NoGo
      P300 and NoGominusGo P300 than found in their counterparts in Germany. However, since this is
      the first study to compare the effects of forming implementation intentions in a
      cross-cultural way, this latter analysis is more exploratory.
    

Observational model: Other
Time perspective: Other
Sampling method: Non-Probability Sample
Study population: 
        Participants will be recruited respectively in Germany and Taiwan using the same
        standardized procedures according to the protocol. Children and adolescents with and
        without ADHD between the ages 10 to 14, with an IQ full score ≥ 80, will participate in
        this study. Participants with ADHD have to meet the criteria of ICD-10 (WHO, 1991) before
        enrolment. They are diagnosed with ADHD combined subtype and have no comorbid disorders.
        None of the controls are clinically diagnosed with any disorders and take any medication.
        Both samples should be matched according to the variables: gender, IQ, and socio-economic
        status (SES).