Explore the Association Between the Emotion Recognition and the Attention Processing Under the Emotional Stimuli in ADHD

Explore the Association Between the Emotion Recognition and the Attention Processing Under the Emotional Stimuli in ADHD

Lots of studies suggest that children with ADHD have deficits in facial emotion recognition, especially for the negative emotion. But there were arguments for this deficit is a secondary problem due to the general attention impairment in ADHD, or a specific social cognitive processing to ADHD. The objectives of this study are to investigate that association between the deficits in facial emotion recognition and the emotional attention processing in ADHD. In this study, the investigators use the emotion attentional bias and emotional go / no go paradigm to answer this question.

The sample will consist of 100 children and adolescent with ADHD and 100 typical controls, ages 8-16. The ADHD group inclusion criteria are patients who have clinically diagnosis of DSM-IV ADHD confirmed by the K-SADS-E, and have IQ > 80; and whose parents consent to this study.

The measurements will be included:

1. Diagnostic assessment tools:

   • Chinese version of Kiddie-Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia-Epidemiology version.
   • Conners' Parent/Teacher Rating Scale- Revised: Short Form, CPRS-R:S/CTRS-R:S.
   • Swanson, Nolan, and Pelham, Version Ⅳ（SNAP-Ⅳ）Rating Scale - Parent/ Teacher Form.

2. Emotion assessment tools:

   • Facial emotion recognition task.
   • Emotional attentional bias task.
   • Emotional Go/ No Go task.

3. Cognitive assessment tool:

   • Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fourth Edition Chinese Version.

This study could offer the suggestion for the further intervention of social function in ADHD.

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Control group

   • The subjects without ADHD.
   • Ages range from 8 to 16
   • Full scale IQ ≥ 80
   • The subjects who and whose parents consent to this study.

2. ADHD group

   • Patients who have clinically diagnosis of DSM-IV ADHD confirmed by the K-SADS-E.
   • Ages range from 8 to 16
   • Full scale IQ ≥ 80
   • Patients who and whose parents consent to this study.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Mental Retardation
• Schizophrenia, Schizoaffective Disorder
• Mood Disorders
• Organic Psychosis
• Learning Disorder
• Pervasive Developmental Disorder
• The subjects of control group if have a history of the following condition as defined by DSM-IV: ADHD in addition to the above exclusion criteria will be excluded.