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Understanding Phonological Memory Deficits in Boys with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): Dissociation of Short-term Storage and Articulatory Rehearsal Processes

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Abstract

The current study dissociated and examined the two primary components of the phonological working memory subsystem—the short-term store and articulatory rehearsal mechanism—in boys with ADHD (n = 18) relative to typically developing boys (n = 15). Word lists of increasing length (2, 4, and 6 words per trial) were presented to and recalled by children following a brief (3 s) interval to assess their phonological short-term storage capacity. Children's ability to utilize the articulatory rehearsal mechanism to actively maintain information in the phonological short-term store was assessed using word lists at their established memory span but with extended rehearsal times (12 s and 21 s delays). Results indicate that both phonological shortterm storage capacity and articulatory rehearsal are impaired or underdeveloped to a significant extent in boys with ADHD relative to typically developing boys, even after controlling for age, SES, IQ, and reading speed. Larger magnitude deficits, however, were apparent in short-term storage capacity (ES = 1.15 to 1.98) relative to articulatory rehearsal (ES = 0.47 to 1.02). These findings are consistent with previous reports of deficient phonological short-term memory in boys with ADHD, and suggest that future attempts to develop remedial cognitive interventions for children with ADHD will need to include active components that require children to hold increasingly more information over longer time intervals.

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Notes

  1. A third storage component—viz., the episodic buffer—has been proposed recently to explain the integration of information from multiple cognitive systems, but is currently considered a “conceptual tool” (Baddeley 2007, p. 149) rather than a formal component of the model.

  2. Age and SES were tested as potential covariates given the trend toward between-group differences. Their inclusion did not change the overall pattern of results.

  3. Data for one participant in the ADHD group was excluded because he was unable to recall ≥ 50% of the stimuli at the lowest set size condition (set size 2, 3 s delay). This child was excluded also from the articulatory rehearsal mechanism analyses.

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  1. Children’s Learning Clinic-IV, Department of Psychology, University of Central Florida, P.O. Box 161390, Orlando, FL, 32761, USA

    Jennifer Bolden, Mark D. Rapport, Joseph S. Raiker, Dustin E. Sarver & Michael J. Kofler

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Bolden, J., Rapport, M.D., Raiker, J.S. et al. Understanding Phonological Memory Deficits in Boys with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): Dissociation of Short-term Storage and Articulatory Rehearsal Processes. J Abnorm Child Psychol 40, 999–1011 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-012-9619-6

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