An evaluation of stimulant medication on the reinforcing effects of play.
Stimulant meds can shift reinforcer value—run a quick reinforcer assessment before and after dose changes to see if social play stays preferred.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Five kids with ADHD took part. Each child came to the clinic twice.
On one visit they took their normal stimulant pill. On the other visit they got no pill.
Each time the team ran a 10-minute play test. The room had two toys: one social (like a catch game) and one solitary (puzzle). The kids could pick either toy every 30 seconds.
What they found
Only one child changed his picks after the pill. He chose the social game less often when medicated.
The other four kids picked the same toys no matter what. Their social play stayed flat.
How this fits with other research
Kanaman et al. (2022) extends this idea. They showed that just having an adult join the toy trial can flip the ranking. Social context, not only meds, moves reinforcer value.
Taylor et al. (2025) is a conceptual replication. Instead of pills, they used a quick conditioning game to make social play feel richer. Both studies prove the value of social play can be pushed up or down.
Kaya et al. (2025) looked at ADHD kids off meds too. They used a Stroop test, not play, but the same lesson appears: check the child both on and off medication before you trust one score.
Why it matters
A pill can quietly shrink the power of social play for some kids. Run a 2-minute reinforcer probe before and after any dose change. If social toys drop, add extra praise or peer time to keep social skills growing.
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Join Free →Before the first trial, let the child choose between a social toy and a solitary toy; repeat the probe after lunch meds to spot any drop in social picks.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
Although a vast literature has indicated that stimulant medications are effective for reducing inappropriate behavior in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), the effects of stimulant medication on ancillary behaviors (e.g., play) have yet to be investigated with the same rigor. We used a reinforcer assessment procedure to evaluate the effects of medication on the play and social behavior of 5 preschool children who had been diagnosed with ADHD. Conditions included (a) social reinforcement (i.e., playing with friends), (b) alone play, and (c) quiet time (i.e., resting). Results indicated that 1 of the 5 participants selected fewer social reinforcers and more nonsocial reinforcers (alone play or quiet time) while on medication. The findings indicate that the reinforcer assessment procedure may be a viable way to evaluate medication effects on an ongoing basis and to inform treatment decisions.
Journal of applied behavior analysis, 2008 · doi:10.1901/jaba.2008.41-143