Date of Award

5-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts (BA)

Department

Social Sciences

First Advisor

Schalles, Matthew

Area of Concentration

Psychology, Neuroscience

Abstract

Attention Defi cit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is commonly associated with emotional dysregulation, including rejection sensitivity (RS). Despite qualitative evidence supporting this comorbidity, few studies have examined the neurophysiological relationship between ADHD and RS. The current study used event-related potential (ERP) techniques to examine electrophysiological responses to social rejection in individuals with ADHD using an adapted version of a Cyberball social exclusion task. Fourteen participants (ADHD: N=8, Control: N=6) completed the task while EEG was recorded from 32 active electrodes. Grand averages were calculated at frontal midline electrode sites Fz and Cz, to identify a feedback related negativity (FRN) for four conditions: ADHD exclusion, ADHD inclusion, control exclusion, and control inclusion. Behavioral measures included the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS V1-1) and the Adult Rejection Sensitivity Questionnaire (A-RSQ). Results did not reveal an FRN; however, notable ERP components were identifi ed across conditions including a positive defl ection at approximately 250ms, a negative peak at approximately 325ms, a large positive component between 385-455ms consistent with a P300, and a LPP (late positive potential). ADHD participants scored signifi cantly higher on the ASRS V1-1 and the A-RSQ than controls. These fi ndings serve as a preliminary foundation for future research examining the neurophysiological underpinnings of rejection sensitivity in ADHD, with implications for understanding emotional dysregulation on an electrophysiological level.

Rights

The author has granted New College of Florida the nonexclusive right to archive, make accessible, and distribute for educational purposes this work in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. The copyright of this work remains with the author.

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