Comparison of Cold and Cool Cognition in Children With and Without Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Children with ADHD suffer from impaired attentional, executive, and emotional processing. This study aimed to compare attentional and executive processing using (non)emotional stimuli in children with and without ADHD. Eighty-five children with ADHD and 72 matched typically developing children performed the Stroop, continuous performance, and Go/No-Go tasks using (non)emotional stimuli. Greater performance in selective attention, inhibitory control, and sustained attention was found in emotional stimuli compared to non-emotional stimuli in both groups. Emotional stimuli facilitated attentional and executive functions in children with and without ADHD. Impaired attentional and executive functions in children with ADHD are not valence-sensitive.