The social information processing abilities of rejected and nonrejected hyperactive children

Abstract

This study compared the social information processing abilities of select third and fourth grade boys. Children identified for the study included 14 hyperactive/rejected, 29 hyperactive/nonrejected, 14 nonhyperactive/rejected, and 14 normal control subjects. Children were identified as hyperactive, based on scores on the Inattentive/Overactive subscale of the IOWA Conners (Loney & Milich, 1982). Rejected and nonrejected status was determined via peer sociometrics. Social information processing abilities were assessed using Milich and Dodge's (1984) interview procedure. Multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) and discriminate function analysis (DFA) were employed to analyze the social information processing data. The MANCOVA involving the social information processing dependent variables resulted in a significant hyperactivity/rejection interaction effect. Among the significant univariate results were the findings that nonhyperactive/rejected boys make more attribution errors than children in the other three groups, whereas hyperactive/rejected boys make more encoding errors than children in the remaining three groups. Two significant DFAs revealed that social information processing variables discriminate between the hyperactive/rejected and hyperactive/nonrejected boys with 86% accuracy and between the hyperactive/rejected and nonhyperactive/rejected boys with 75% accuracy. Overall, results indicate that hyperactive/rejected boys display a unique constellation of social information processing deficits, relative to nonhyperactive/rejected boys.