This thesis reports on two studies which examined possible inhibitory deficits in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), as well as the children's response to reinforcement contingencies. In the first study, a go/no-go discrimination learning task developed by Newman, Widom, and Nathan (1985) was used to investigate the effects of reward and response costs on the ability of ADHD and normal children to learn to respond to some stimuli and inhibit responding to others. Children were tested on four conditions involving different combinations of rewards and response costs. ADHD children showed poorer inhibitory control compared to control children across the four conditions, implicating a generalized inhibitory deficit. Study 2 assessed the psychophysiological responses of ADHD and control children to reward and the termination of reward during a repetitive motor task. Based on Gray's (1982, 1987a, 1987b) psychobiological model, Fowles (1980, 1988) suggested that heart rate increases during reward are reflective of activity in Gray's hypothesized behavioral activation system, while skin conductance increases when reward is removed are reflective of activity in his behavioral inhibition system. Compared to control children, ADHD children failed to show the expected increase in skin conductance during extinction, implicating a deficit in their behavioral inhibition system. In addition, ADHD children showed faster heart rate habituation to reward which, together with other evidence discussed, suggests that they also have behavioral activation abnormalities. This, the findings from the two studies provide strong evidence that ADHD children have both generalized inhibitory deficits and an abnormal response to rewards which, in some situations, may exacerbate their poor inhibition.

My thesis topic on deficit thinking, democracy and an ethic of care emerges as a result of the clashes that take place under political and socio-economic agendas which are deeply connected with the conflicting interpersonal challenges that inner city students face. My thesis focuses on two major aspects regarding deficit thinking: 1. What are the different frameworks that create and support deficit thinking and deficit practices, and are there any philosophical inconsistencies or overlap amongst them? Moreover, what is the conceptualization(s) of deficit thinking that arise from these different frameworks? 2. Why is deficit thinking toward inner city students philosophically problematic and inconsistent with creating true democratic education possibilities? After presenting and highlighting my concerns about deficit thinking practices, I briefly provide an alternative vision for education. This truly democratic vision of education is comprised of four main components: critical thinking, participatory democracy, moral responsibility, and an ethic of care.

No description available.

Thesis (M. P. H.)--University of Hong Kong, 2007.

Thesis (M. P. H.)--University of Hong Kong, 2007. / Also available in print.

Thesis (D. Psych.)--Victoria University (Melbourne, Vic.), 2007. / Includes bibliographical references.

Specialist Degree in School Psychology, Eastern Illinois University, 1995. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 34-36).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Washington State University. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis--PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis--PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references.