ADHD Adults Show Lower Interindividual Similarity in Ex-Gaussian Reaction Time Vectors for Congruent Stimuli Compared to Control Peers

Abstract

Objective: Interindividual similarity refers to how similarly individuals respond when receiving the same stimulus or intervention. In this study, we aimed to examine interindividual similarity in adults with ADHD. Method: We used the cosine similarity index of ex-Gaussian reaction time (RT) vectors of mu, sigma, and tau parameters during a Stroop task. Results: Our results demonstrate that the ADHD group exhibits a reduced interindividual similarity index in their ex-Gaussian RT vectors for congruent stimuli compared to the healthy control group. Importantly, we did not find significant differences in the interindividual similarity index to incongruent stimuli between both groups, thus suggesting that this reduced index was selective for congruent stimuli. Conclusion: Our findings highlight that ADHD adults exhibit more significant interindividual differences in cognitive functioning when processing congruent stimuli than healthy controls. These results provide new insights into the selective mechanisms underlying ADHD and may contribute to developing new targeted interventions for this disorder.