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The Positive Illusory Bias: Do Inflated Self-Perceptions in Children with ADHD Generalize to Perceptions of Others?

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Abstract

This study examined whether children with symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) demonstrate positive illusory perceptions of their own competence and others’ competence. Participants (67 children with ADHD symptoms; 40 non-ADHD children) completed the Self-Perception Profile for Children and rated actors’ competence in videos clips where inconsistent cues of performance had to be integrated in order to determine the actor’s competence. Teachers completed the Teacher Rating Scale of Child’s Actual Behavior. Children with ADHD symptoms overestimated their own competence relative to teachers’ estimates in all domains significantly more than non-ADHD children. There were no significant group differences in perceptions of others’ competence. Findings suggest that positive illusions are exclusive to perceptions of self and do not extend to perceptions of others.

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Acknowledgement

This project was supported by funding from the Ohio Department of Mental Health (ODMH) Office of Program Evaluation and Research (grant # 03.1189).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ohio University, Porter Hall 200, Athens, OH, 45701, USA

    Nicole M. Evangelista, Julie S. Owens & Catherine M. Golden

  2. Center for Children and Families, State University of New York at Buffalo, 106 Diefendorf Hall, 3435 Main Street, Buffalo, NY, 14214, USA

    William E. Pelham Jr.

Authors
  1. Nicole M. Evangelista
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  2. Julie S. Owens
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  3. Catherine M. Golden
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  4. William E. Pelham Jr.
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Correspondence to Julie S. Owens.

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Evangelista, N.M., Owens, J.S., Golden, C.M. et al. The Positive Illusory Bias: Do Inflated Self-Perceptions in Children with ADHD Generalize to Perceptions of Others?. J Abnorm Child Psychol 36, 779–791 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-007-9210-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-007-9210-8

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