Examining Motivational Systems (Behavioral Inhibition and Behavioral Activation) as Mediators between Decision Making and Impulsivity in ADHD

Some of the major hallmarks of attentional disorders include inappropriate decision making and unnecessary risk taking (Toplak, Jain, & Tannock, 2005). For an attentional disorder such as ADHD, however, researchers are unsure where these symptoms may originate from. One theory suggests that inappropriate decision making in ADHD originates from disruptions within motivational-emotional pathways (Steinberg, 2008). More specifically, research has suggested that inappropriate functioning of reward systems may play a significant role (Mowinckel et al., 2014). Therefore, the aim of this study is to examine how motivational systems to rewards - behavioral inhibition and behavioral activation - contribute to unnecessary risk taking and poor decision-making. Accordingly, a mediated regression analysis will be conducted to explore whether behavioral inhibition and behavioral activation act as mediators for impulsivity (predictor) and poor decision making (outcome). In this study, college students (n =100) were classified as “highly likely to have ADHD” via the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS v1.1). Impulsivity was measured via the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11), Decision Making was measured via the Melbourne Decision Making Questionnaire (MDMQ), and both behavioral inhibition and behavioral activation were measured via subscales of the Behavioral Avoidance/Inhibition Scale (BIS/BAS). Based on the existing research literature, we hypothesize that impulsivity will predict poor decision making via the mediation of both motivational systems (behavioral inhibition and behavioral activation).