Tarle Stephanie J, Alderson R Matt, Patros Connor H G, Lea Sarah E, Hudec Kristen L, Arrington Elaine F
Department of Psychology, Oklahoma State University.
Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia.
Neuropsychology. 2017 May;31(4):383-394. doi: 10.1037/neu0000364. Epub 2017 Mar 9.
Despite promising findings in extant research that suggest impaired working memory (WM) serves as a central neurocognitive deficit or candidate endophenotype of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), findings from translational research have been relatively underwhelming. This study aimed to explicate previous equivocal findings by systematically examining the effect of methodological variability on WM performance estimates across experimental and clinical WM measures.
Age-matched boys (ages 8-12 years) with (n = 20) and without (n = 20) ADHD completed 1 experimental (phonological) and 2 clinical (digit span, letter-number sequencing) WM measures.
The use of partial scoring procedures, administration of greater trial numbers, and high central executive demands yielded moderate-to-large between-groups effect sizes. Moreover, the combination of these best-case procedures, compared to worst-case procedures (i.e., absolute scoring, administration of few trials, use of discontinue rules, and low central executive demands), resulted in a 12.5% increase in correct group classification.
Collectively, these findings explain inconsistent ADHD-related WM deficits in previous reports, and highlight the need for revised clinical measures that utilize best-case procedures. (PsycINFO Database Record
尽管现有研究中有一些有前景的发现，表明工作记忆受损是注意力缺陷多动障碍（ADHD）的核心神经认知缺陷或候选内表型，但转化研究的结果相对平淡。本研究旨在通过系统检查方法变异性对实验性和临床工作记忆测量中工作记忆表现估计值的影响，来阐明先前模棱两可的发现。
年龄匹配的患有ADHD（n = 20）和未患ADHD（n = 20）的8至12岁男孩完成了1项实验性（语音）和2项临床（数字广度、字母数字排序）工作记忆测量。
使用部分计分程序、增加试验次数以及较高的中央执行要求产生了中等至较大的组间效应量。此外，与最差情况程序（即绝对计分、少量试验、使用停止规则和较低的中央执行要求）相比，这些最佳情况程序的组合使正确的组分类增加了12.5%。
总体而言，这些发现解释了先前报告中与ADHD相关的工作记忆缺陷不一致的情况，并强调了需要修订使用最佳情况程序的临床测量方法。（《心理学文摘数据库记录》
