HYPERACTIVITY AND DELAY AVERSION .3. THE EFFECT ON COGNITIVE-STYLE OFIMPOSING DELAY AFTER ERRORS

The claim that impulsiveness associated with hyperactivity is the resu lt of deficits in inhibition of responses over time was examined. The cognitive style of hyperactive children was studied under two conditio ns. As in previous studies hyperactive children appeared impulsive (i. e, gave shorter latencies and made more errors than controls) under co nditions where this style led to shorter trials. In contrast, in a rev ised condition where each error led to an enforced/fixed trial length, hyperactive children waited as long as controls before responding, bu t still made more errors. Hyperactive children withheld responses when this offered them the best chance of avoiding extra delay. They were however, unable to use the extra time provided as effectively as contr ols. The link between hyperactive children's aversion to delay and the ir poor use of time is discussed.