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Inattention, Working Memory, and Goal Neglect in a Community Sample
Rebecca N Elisa1, Emili Balaguer-Ballester1, Benjamin A Parris1
1Department of Psychology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Bournemouth University Poole, UK.
Frontiers in Psychology
|October 8, 2016
Summary
Inattention in adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is linked to difficulties with verbal working memory (WM). This study found that higher inattention scores correlated with poorer performance on verbal WM tasks.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Clinical Psychology
Background:
- Executive function deficits are common in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
- A specific theory suggests inattention in ADHD stems from impaired complex verbal working memory (WM).
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between ADHD symptoms, particularly inattention, and working memory (WM) capacity.
- To test the hypothesis that inattention is associated with deficits in verbal WM and goal neglect.
Main Methods:
- Adults (18-35) were assessed for ADHD symptoms using the Conners Adult ADHD rating scale.
- Participants completed tasks measuring verbal and spatial working memory (WM) (Experiment 1).
- A goal neglect task assessing WM integration of information was used in a follow-up experiment (Experiment 2).
Main Results:
- High inattention scores predicted poorer performance on both simple and complex verbal WM tasks.
- Results for spatial WM were inconclusive.
- High inattention uniquely predicted performance on the goal neglect task, suggesting a link to "goal neglect".
Conclusions:
- The findings support the working memory (WM) theory of inattention in ADHD.
- Inattention may be specifically related to difficulties in processing and integrating verbal information within WM.
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