INFORMATION:
Positive reinforcement plays key role in cognitive task performance in ADHD kids
2015-07-30
(Press-News.org) BUFFALO, N.Y. - A little recognition for a job well done means a lot to children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) - more so than it would for typically developing kids.
That praise, or other possible reward, improves the performance of children with ADHD on certain cognitive tasks, but until a recent study led by researchers from the University at Buffalo, it wasn't clear if that result was due to heightened motivation inspired by positive reinforcement or because those with ADHD simply had greater room for improvement at certain tasks relative to their peers without such a diagnosis.
"Our results suggest that the motivation piece is critical," says Whitney Fosco, a graduate student in the Department of Psychology in the UB College of Arts and Sciences. "Kids with ADHD showed more improvement because they are more motivated by the opportunity to gain rewards, not because they simply did worse from the beginning."
The findings come out of a novel study published in the journal Behavioral and Brain Functions that collectively examined two leading theories on ADHD, combining what previous work had mostly looked at separately.
One of those theories suggests that lower-than-average cognitive abilities contribute to symptoms associated with ADHD, such as inattentiveness. The other theory favors motivation over ability, focusing on whether kids with ADHD have an increased sensitivity to reward.
"When asking whether the performance difference we see is the result of ability or motivation, this research has more of an answer than any study that comes before it," says UB psychologist Larry Hawk, the paper's principle investigator.
The results of the research conducted by Hawk, Fosco, UB graduate student Michelle Bubnik and Keri Rosch of the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, Maryland, have clinical parallels as well.
Behavioral therapy, which uses positive consequences to increase the likelihood of achieving certain behaviors, is among the leading psychosocial interventions for children with an ADHD diagnosis.
The authors point out that the benefits of reward are not specific to children with ADHD.
"The major difference is that typically developing kids usually perform well even when simply asked to do their best," says Fosco. "But kids with ADHD typically need an external or an additional reinforcement to perform their best."
It's a tricky area of research area, according to Hawk, since some of the subjects are being tested on tasks on which they have a demonstrated history of poor performance.
There is also a degree of variability between the two groups. The authors say that having a diagnosis of ADHD doesn't necessarily mean that a child will perform poorly on any given task, and neither does the absence of a diagnosis mean that the child will perform well on any given task.
"You can't say kids with ADHD respond more to reinforcement because they were doing poorly to begin with," says Hawk. "We showed that was not true. It was greater motivation to obtain external rewards that drove the effects we observed."
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
HPV16 detection in oral rinses for oropharyngeal cancer
2015-07-30
The presence of persistent human papillomavirus (HPV) type 16 DNA in oral rinses after treatment for HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer was rare but it appears to be associated with poor prognosis and therefore may have potential as a long-term tool for tumor surveillance, according to an article published online by JAMA Oncology.
HPV infection is responsible for the majority of oropharyngeal carcinomas in the United States. In 10 percent to 25 percent of patients with HPV-positive tumors, the cancer will progress after treatment and earlier diagnoses of progressive or ...
Liver plays role in pneumonia, sepsis susceptibility
2015-07-30
(Boston)--New evidence highlights the importance of the liver in immunity against bacterial pneumonia. The study is the first of its kind to directly show such a link between liver-produced molecules and pneumonia susceptibility during sepsis.
Led by researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM), the study appears in the journal Infection and Immunity.
Pneumonia, according to the World Health Organization, is the leading infectious cause of death in children worldwide, taking more than 900,000 lives of children under the age of 5 in 2013 alone. Pneumonia, ...
Electric fields signal 'no flies zone'
2015-07-30
A new piece of research led by the University of Southampton has found that the behaviour of fruit flies, which are commonly used in laboratory experiments, is altered by electric fields.
The research indicates that the wings of the insects are disturbed by static electric fields, leading to changes in avoidance behaviour and the neurochemical balance of their brains.
The paper, published in the Proceeding of the Royal Society B, suggests that the plastic housing laboratory fruit flies are commonly kept in (which hold their own static electric charge) could agitate the ...
Why female physicians are paid less than men
2015-07-30
In a survey of hospital medical physicians across the United States, women made nearly $15,000 less than their male counterparts, with a portion of this disparity explained by female doctors' tendency to prioritize collegiality and control over personal time, rather than substantial pay. The figure was determined after controlling for a number of factors, including age, geography, specialty, and amount and type of clinical work.
Optimal workload was the top priority for both male and female physicians, 776 of whom responded to survey questions on work priorities. Substantial ...
New study narrows the gap between climate models and reality
2015-07-30
A new study led by a University of York scientist addresses an important question in climate science: how accurate are climate model projections?
Climate models are used to estimate future global warming, and their accuracy can be checked against the actual global warming observed so far. Most comparisons suggest that the world is warming a little more slowly than the model projections indicate. Scientists have wondered whether this difference is meaningful, or just a chance fluctuation.
Dr Kevin Cowtan, of the Department of Chemistry at York, led an international study ...
Plastic surgeons urged to 'embrace the change' to single-stage implant breast reconstruction
2015-07-30
July 30, 2015 - Some women with breast cancer can now undergo a "one and done" approach combining nipple-sparing mastectomy with immediate single-stage implant (SSI) breast reconstruction in a single procedure, according to a report in the July issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery®, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).
In the article, ASPS Member Surgeon Dr. Mark A. Codner of Emory University, Atlanta, shares his approach to single-stage implant (SSI) breast reconstruction after mastectomy for breast cancer. Coauthor ...
'Mommy makeover' combines procedures for postpartum body contouring
2015-07-30
July 30, 2015 - More women are expressing interest in plastic surgery to restore a more youthful figure after having children. An update on combined procedures for postpartum body contouring--addressing the abdomen, breasts, and other problem areas--is presented in the August issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery®, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).
Sometimes called the "mommy makeover," postpartum body contouring combines a "tummy tuck"(abdominoplasty) with breast lift surgery (mastopexy) and other procedures to ...
Computerized treatment may combat PTSD symptoms
2015-07-30
Some 10-15 percent of combat veterans struggle with wounds invisible to the naked eye: post-traumatic stress. Their lives are ridden with debilitating symptoms: insomnia, flashbacks, depression, anxiety, guilt, and ever-present tension. While there is no cure-all for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), cognitive behavioral therapy -- which actively reprocesses traumatic events to reduce symptoms -- has seen some success.
A new study from researchers at Tel Aviv University, Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, and the National Institute of Mental Health suggests ...
Lanosterol revealed clues for cataract prevention and treatment
2015-07-30
On July 30, 2015, researchers from Sichuan University, Sun Yat-sen University, University of California, BGI, etc, reported the latest study on congenitalcataracts. The finding, published on Nature, identifies lanosterol as a key molecule in the prevention of lens protein aggregation and points to a novel strategy for cataract prevention and treatment.
Cataracts are the most common cause of blindness worldwide, accounting for over half of all cases of blindness worldwide. Currently the only treatment is surgical removal of cataractous lenses. High concentrations of crystallin ...
Pharmacists help patients with hypertension
2015-07-30
If you have hypertension, it pays to include a pharmacist in a medical care team.
That's the upshot from research by the University of Iowa that found patients with uncontrolled hypertension had better blood pressure control when being cared for by pharmacists working in care teams (with a physician, for example) than patients who relied mostly on a doctor for medication guidance.
The researchers showed pharmacist-included care teams delivered more hands-on and tailored medication regimens to patients, which yielded more effective blood-pressure control results than ...