| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 371218 | Research in Developmental Disabilities | 2015 | 11 Pages |
•The directional relationship between choice-impulsivity and separate indices of phonological and visuospatial working memory performance in boys with and without ADHD was examined.•Overall ADHD, inattention, and hyperactivity were associated with increased impulsivity and poorer phonological and visuospatial working memory.•Mediation analyses revealed a significant indirect effect of visuospatial working memory performance, through choice-impulsivity, on measures of overall ADHD, inattention, and hyperactivity/impulsivity.•Findings suggest that deficits of visuospatial working memory underlie choice-impulsivity, which in turn contributes to the ADHD phenotype.
The present study examined the directional relationship between choice-impulsivity and separate indices of phonological and visuospatial working memory performance in boys (aged 8–12 years) with (n = 16) and without ADHD (n = 19). Results indicated that high ratings of overall ADHD, inattention, and hyperactivity were significantly associated with increased impulsivity and poorer phonological and visuospatial working memory performance. Further, results from bias-corrected bootstrapped mediation analyses revealed a significant indirect effect of visuospatial working memory performance, through choice-impulsivity, on overall ADHD, inattention, and hyperactivity/impulsivity. Collectively, the findings suggest that deficits of visuospatial working memory underlie choice-impulsivity, which in turn contributes to the ADHD phenotype. Moreover, these findings are consistent with a growing body of literature that identifies working memory as a central neurocognitive deficit of ADHD.
