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Stimulation Seeking and Hyperactivity in Children with ADHD

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2000

Inge Antrop ,
Herbert Roeyers ,
Paulette Van Oost  and
Ann Buysse
Inge Antrop
Affiliation:
University of Ghent, Belgium
Herbert Roeyers
Affiliation:
University of Ghent, Belgium
Paulette Van Oost
Affiliation:
University of Ghent, Belgium
Ann Buysse
Affiliation:
University of Ghent, Belgium
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Abstract

Thirty hyperactive and 30 non-hyperactive children were confronted with a delay, consisting of a waiting situation of 15 minutes, either with or without extra stimulation provided by the presentation of a videotape. The behaviour of the child during the waiting period was videotaped and later coded by two naive observers. In line with theories that emphasise the stimulation-seeking function of hyperactive behaviours, such as the optimal stimulation account and the delay aversion theory, a group by stimulation effect was hypothesised. For two categories of activity this was found, with ADHD children displaying more activity than non-ADHD children in the no-stimulation but not in the stimulation condition. These data provide support for the stimulation-seeking function of certain features of ADHD hyperactivity.

Keywords

Activity levelADD/ADHDbehavioural measuresenvironmental influenceshyperactivitystimulation seeking
Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines , Volume 41 , Issue 2 , February 2000 , pp. 225 - 231
Copyright
© 2000 Association for Child Psychology and Psychiatry

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