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Updated: May 12, 2026

The Collective Trust Game: An Online Group Adaptation of the Trust Game Based on the HoneyComb Paradigm
Published on: October 20, 2022
Social Interaction Behavior in ADHD in Adults in a Virtual Trust Game
Stefanie Lis1, Nina Baer2, Nele Franzen2
1Justus-Liebig University Giessen, Germany Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Germany stefanie.lis@zi-mannheim.de.
Objective:
Social cognitive functions in adults with ADHD were investigated in a virtual social exchange game.
Method:
The sample consisted of 40 participants (20 adult ADHD participants, 20 healthy controls). Participants played a multiround trust game with virtual trustees who differed in regard to fairness and presence of emotional facial cues.
Results:
Investments were higher in ADHD participants than in healthy participants except for partners who played fair with constant neutral expressions. ADHD patients did not adapt their behavior to the fairness of the trustee. In the presence of emotional facial cues, ADHD and healthy participants transferred more monetary units to happy rather than angry-looking trustees. Differences in investment behavior were not linked to deficits in emotion-recognition abilities or cognitive dysfunctions.
Conclusion:
Alterations in interaction behavior and in the formation of a general attitude toward social partners could be shown in adults with ADHD.
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