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In Experiment 1, 28 attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) boys underwent a double-blind, placebo-controlled medication assessment in a summer day-treatment program. Daily, boys were asked questions to assess their attributions for and evaluations of their behavior. Objective measures showed improved behavior with methylphenidate; however, boys tended to attribute their performance to effort rather than to medication, particularly when medicated. Experiment 2 involved 38 ADHD boys the following summer and replicated the procedures in Experiment 1, with the addition of a no-pill condition and a comparison of attributions for success and failure outcomes. Simply taking a pill (no-pill vs. placebo comparison) did not show significant effects, whereas the results of Experiment 1 were replicated with placebo-methylphenidate comparisons. Across drug conditions a self-enhancing attributional pattern was obtained; the majority of attributions for success were to ability or effort, whereas attributions for failure were to the pill or to counselors.

Distress and ad lib alcohol consumption after interactions with child confederates were investigated in parents of children with externalizing disorders--attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), conduct disorder (CD), or oppositional defiant disorder (ODD). Sixty subjects interacted with boys trained to act like either normal children or children with ADHD/CD/ODD. Interactions with deviant confederates resulted in feelings of inadequacy and produced negative affect but had no effect on alcohol consumption. Post hoc analyses showed that parents with a family history of alcohol problems (FH+) showed increased drinking after interaction with a deviant confederate, compared with FH+ parents who interacted with the normal confederate. FH- parents showed the opposite pattern of results.