Poster #8 - Executive Functioning, ADHD Symptoms, and Math Performance in a Clinical Child Sample

• In Event: 1-115 - Poster Session 03
  In Poster Session: PS 03 Section - Attention, Learning, Memory

Integrative Statement

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a heterogeneous neuropsychological disorder characterized by inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity that currently affects about 5% of children worldwide (APA, 2013; Polanczyk et al., 2014). The goal of the present study was to investigate how executive functions (EFs), including working memory, inhibition, and set-shifting, relate to math performance in a sample of children with and without ADHD. Research suggests about 89% of children with ADHD have at least one EF deficit, with the majority of children with ADHD (62%) displaying a deficit in working memory (Kofler et al., 2018). Evidence regarding the relation between each EF (working memory, inhibition, and set shifting) and math performance is mixed. Current literature consistently documents links between both working memory and inhibition and math skills (e.g., Brankaer et al., 2013; Bull & Scerif, 2001), such that better developed EFs predict better math performance; there is a paucity of research describing the relation between set-shifting and math performance in the clinical child literature. We hypothesized that EF would predict math performance over and above ADHD symptoms and that working memory would account for more variance in math performance than inhibition or set-shifting. Participants (N=119) included clinic-referred and community recruited children aged 8-13. Measures included age- and gender-normed parent ratings of ADHD symptoms, standardized tests of math achievement, and criterion-based tasks of working memory, inhibition, and set shifting adapted for children. Results of a series of hierarchical regressions indicated that EF (working memory, inhibition, and set shifting together) predicts math performance over and above ADHD symptoms while controlling for socioeconomic status, gender, race/ethnicity, and age (∆R2 = .192; p < .001). Similarly, working memory predicts math performance over and above inhibition, set-shifting, and ADHD symptoms (∆R2 = .189; p < .001), but inhibition (∆R2 < .001; p = .779) and set shifting (∆R2 < .001; p = .885) do not account for a significant amount of variance in math performance over and above ADHD symptoms and other EFs. Interestingly, while ADHD-related inattention was a significant predictor of math performance in each model initially (p = .003; .004), it was no longer a significant predictor after accounting for EFs generally (p = .215) or working memory specifically (p = .215). Overall, the findings support our hypotheses and expand our knowledge of each EF in relation to math performance. Specifically, these results highlight the importance of working memory ability in relation to math skills in a clinical child sample. Clinical implications, limitations, and future directions of these findings will be discussed.

Authors

• Harlee Onovbiona, Florida State University
  Presenting Author

• Nicole Beth Groves, Florida State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Michael J Kofler, Florida State University
  Non-Presenting Author