Hawk | Pelham | Richards | Waxmonsky | Wilding

Dr. Larry Hawk of the UB Department of Psychology investigated the effects of both methylphenidate (MPH) and performance-based motivational incentives (i.e., monetary rewards, an analogue of behavioral treatment) on laboratory measures of inhibitory control, working memory, sustained attention, and delay-related impulsivity in children with ADHD. This research was the first to test the extent to which MPH affects basic processes assessed in the lab, and whether these processes actually mediate, or account for, individual differences in clinical response to MPH. The researchers have helped to bridge basic and clinical research in ADHD in this work and paved the way for new translational research and theory in ADHD. Dr. William Pelham of UB’s Department of Psychology was co-principal investigator. Co-investigators included Drs. Jerry Richards, RIA, James Waxmonsky, UB Department of Psychiatry, and Gregory Wilding, UB Department of Biostatistics. Funded by NIMH to Dr. Hawk, 2005-2010.