INS NYC 2024 Program

Poster	Poster Session 10 Program Schedule 02/17/2024 09:00 am - 10:15 am Room: Majestic Complex (Posters 61-120) Poster Session 10: Neurodevelopmental \| Congenital Conditions Final Abstract #86 Is Spontaneous Strategy use Related to Verbal Memory Problems in Adult ADHD? Juha Salmi, Aalto University, Espoo, Finland Anton Kunnari, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland Tilda Eräste, Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland Liisa Ritakallio, Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland Matti Laine, Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland Category: ADHD/Attentional Functions Keyword 1: memory disorders Keyword 2: attention Keyword 3: strategic processing Objective: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is associated with diverse cognitive deficits of which problems related to verbal memory and learning are well-established. However, the cognitive mechanisms underlying these problems are not clear. In an online word list learning experiment, we studied whether verbal memory impairment in adult ADHD is related to spontaneous use of memory strategies that hinge upon metacognitive and executive skills. Participants and Methods: Eighty-one adults with ADHD and 209 neurotypical controls recruited via Prolific performed a word list learning task. In this task, the same list of 18 common nouns was presented three times in randomized order, each time coupled with an open strategy report. For each strategy report, two independent raters (ML, TE) coded the primary strategy type (8 categories based on previous work). Interrater agreement was good (κ=0.74). Then the primary strategy types were reduced into binary categories of strategy use vs. no use, and further into three categories (no strategy, maintenance, and manipulation). The data were analyzed with Bayesian mixed-models with the “BayesFactor” package on R and with JASP. We examined the effects of repetition (block), group (ADHD vs. control), and strategy use, as well as their interactions, on the number of correctly recalled words with participant treated as random effect. Moreover, we compared the frequency of strategy use in the two groups. Results: The groups were comparable on age, gender, and education. The participants with severe psychiatric symptoms were excluded but depression and anxiety scores were still slightly higher for participants with ADHD than in neurotypical controls. The controls’ overall memory task performance was higher, thus verifying a verbal memory deficit in our ADHD group. Performance improved with repetition for both groups, and while numerical trends suggested a slightly lower learning rate for ADHD participants, evidence for this was inconclusive. Majority of participants in both groups reported spontaneous strategy use, with the most common strategy types being rehearsal/repetition. Strategy users evidenced a higher performance in both groups, with manipulation strategies (e.g., grouping, visualization, creating a narrative) yielding best word recall. However, there was some evidence for less frequent spontaneous strategy employment in the ADHD group. Conclusions: Overall, these results provide support to the existence of verbal memory and learning deficits in adult ADHD. The ADHD group was as effective as controls when employing a memory strategy, but slightly less prone to spontaneously engage in strategy use. Thus, lower frequency of strategy users could contribute to verbal memory deficits in ADHD. However, this slight divergence in strategy use is unlikely to account for the robust difference in verbal memory performance between adults with ADHD and neurotypical controls. Further look into other factors that can affect encoding of verbal materials in adult ADHD is called for.

Poster

02/17/2024
09:00 am - 10:15 am
Room: Majestic Complex (Posters 61-120)

Poster Session 10: Neurodevelopmental | Congenital Conditions

Final Abstract #86

Is Spontaneous Strategy use Related to Verbal Memory Problems in Adult ADHD?

Juha Salmi, Aalto University, Espoo, Finland
Anton Kunnari, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
Tilda Eräste, Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland
Liisa Ritakallio, Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland
Matti Laine, Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland

Category: ADHD/Attentional Functions

Keyword 1: memory disorders
Keyword 2: attention
Keyword 3: strategic processing

Objective:

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is associated with diverse cognitive deficits of which problems related to verbal memory and learning are well-established. However, the cognitive mechanisms underlying these problems are not clear. In an online word list learning experiment, we studied whether verbal memory impairment in adult ADHD is related to spontaneous use of memory strategies that hinge upon metacognitive and executive skills.

Participants and Methods:

Eighty-one adults with ADHD and 209 neurotypical controls recruited via Prolific performed a word list learning task. In this task, the same list of 18 common nouns was presented three times in randomized order, each time coupled with an open strategy report. For each strategy report, two independent raters (ML, TE) coded the primary strategy type (8 categories based on previous work). Interrater agreement was good (κ=0.74). Then the primary strategy types were reduced into binary categories of strategy use vs. no use, and further into three categories (no strategy, maintenance, and manipulation). The data were analyzed with Bayesian mixed-models with the “BayesFactor” package on R and with JASP. We examined the effects of repetition (block), group (ADHD vs. control), and strategy use, as well as their interactions, on the number of correctly recalled words with participant treated as random effect. Moreover, we compared the frequency of strategy use in the two groups.

Results:

The groups were comparable on age, gender, and education. The participants with severe psychiatric symptoms were excluded but depression and anxiety scores were still slightly higher for participants with ADHD than in neurotypical controls.

The controls’ overall memory task performance was higher, thus verifying a verbal memory deficit in our ADHD group. Performance improved with repetition for both groups, and while numerical trends suggested a slightly lower learning rate for ADHD participants, evidence for this was inconclusive. Majority of participants in both groups reported spontaneous strategy use, with the most common strategy types being rehearsal/repetition. Strategy users evidenced a higher performance in both groups, with manipulation strategies (e.g., grouping, visualization, creating a narrative) yielding best word recall. However, there was some evidence for less frequent spontaneous strategy employment in the ADHD group.

Conclusions:

Overall, these results provide support to the existence of verbal memory and learning deficits in adult ADHD. The ADHD group was as effective as controls when employing a memory strategy, but slightly less prone to spontaneously engage in strategy use. Thus, lower frequency of strategy users could contribute to verbal memory deficits in ADHD. However, this slight divergence in strategy use is unlikely to account for the robust difference in verbal memory performance between adults with ADHD and neurotypical controls. Further look into other factors that can affect encoding of verbal materials in adult ADHD is called for.