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Abstract:
Abstract: Although many aspects of executive function have
been investigated in children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity
Disorder (ADHD), spatial working memory has been largely
overlooked. Children with ADHD have shown deficits in multiple
areas of executive function, including inhibition, set-shifting
ability and planning ability. Preliminary investigations of spatial
working memory in children with ADHD have noted that children with
ADHD show greater deficits in spatial working memory than children
without ADHD symptomatology (Kempton et al., 1999; Karatekin &
Asarnof, 1998). This study sought to investigate further the
relationship between ADHD symptomatology and spatial working memory
by determining whether performance on a spatial working memory task
varied as a function of level of ADHD symptomatology. Children ages
8 to 18 were administered the spatial working memory task on the
Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) and
parents were asked to rate their children on ADHD symptomatology
using a DSM-IV checklist. Both strategy and between errors scores
on the CANTAB were analyzed. Results indicated no relationship
between ADHD symptomatology and spatial working memory scores,
suggesting that individual differences in hyperactivity and
attention are not related to performance on spatial working memory
tasks.
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