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Working Memory Capacity and ADHD Symptoms in Boys: Examining the Heterogeneity of Working Memory Functioning Using Latent Profile Analysis

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Abstract

Recent studies demonstrate that working memory (WM) is integral to etiological models of ADHD; however, significant questions persist regarding the relation between WM performance across tasks with varying cognitive demands and ADHD symptoms. The current study incorporates an individual differences approach to WM heterogeneity (i.e., latent profile analysis) to (a) identify differential profiles of WM across the phonological and visuospatial WM subsystems; and (b) characterize differences in symptom presentation among WM profiles. Parent and teacher ratings of child behavior, obtained for boys with (n = 51) and without (n = 38) a diagnosis of ADHD, were compared across latent classes of visuospatial and phonological WM performance. Latent profile analysis identified three classes of WM functioning: Low WM, Moderate WM, and High WM. Membership in the Low and Moderate WM classes was associated with greater levels of parent- and teacher-rated inattentive and hyperactive symptoms. While 84% of the ADHD group were assigned to the Low and Moderate WM classes, more than a quarter of children without ADHD exhibited Moderate WM limitations. Collectively, these findings extend prior work suggesting that there is substantial heterogeneity in WM functioning in children with and without ADHD and that these differences contribute to the expression of symptoms of inattention and hyperactivity.

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Notes

  1. A subset of these children were included in previous studies (Alderson et al. 2010; Bolden 2012; Calub et al. 2019; Kofler et al. 2014; Raiker et al. 2012; Rapport et al. 2008; Rapport et al. 2009; Sarver et al. 2015) to examine conceptually distinct hypotheses. Notably, this sample has never been included in a study utilizing latent profile analysis or examining the association between the experimental laboratory-based tasks and the rating scales used in the current study.

  2. All participants within the ADHD group also met criteria for ADHD based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-5; American Psychiatric Association 2013), as determined by the KSADS (2013 update), which was published during the collection of this data.

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Funding

During the production of this manuscript, the corresponding author was supported in part by the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation, the Children’s Trust, NIMH, and NSF. Additionally, at least one of the other authors was supported by NIMH during production of this manuscript. None of the views expressed in this manuscript represent the views of any of these funding agencies. The authors declare they have no conflicts of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Center for Children & Families, Florida International University, 11200 SW 8th Street AHC1 140, Miami, FL, 33199, USA

    Mileini Campez & Joseph S. Raiker

  2. Department of Pediatrics, Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Center for Advancement of Youth, University of Mississippi Medical Center, 2500 North State Street, Jackson, MS, 39216, USA

    Dustin E. Sarver

  3. Department of Psychiatry, University of California─ San Francisco, 401 Parnassus Avenue, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA

    Lauren M. Friedman

  4. Department of Psychology, University of Tampa, 401 W. Kennedy Boulevard, Tampa, FL, 33606, USA

    Sarah A. Orban

  5. Department of Psychology, University of Central Florida, 4111 Pictor Lane, Psychology Bldg 99, Orlando, FL, 32816, USA

    Mark D. Rapport

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  1. Mileini Campez
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  2. Joseph S. Raiker
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  3. Dustin E. Sarver
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  4. Lauren M. Friedman
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Joseph S. Raiker.

Ethics declarations

During the production of this manuscript, Dr. Raiker was supported in part by the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation (#66791), the Children’s Trust (#7561, #7161), NIMH (MH099030, MH112002), and NSF (CNS-1532061). Additionally, Dr. Friedman was supported by NIMH during the procution of this manuscript (T32-MH018261). None of the views expressed in this manuscript represent the views of any of these funding agencies. Ms. Campez, Dr. Raiker, Dr. Sarver, Dr. Friedman, Dr. Orban, and Dr. Rapport have no further potential conflicts of interest.

Ethical Approval

This research was approved by the Institution’s Ethics Board. All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Informed parental consent and child assent (for children under age 18 years) was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Campez, M., Raiker, J.S., Sarver, D.E. et al. Working Memory Capacity and ADHD Symptoms in Boys: Examining the Heterogeneity of Working Memory Functioning Using Latent Profile Analysis. J Psychopathol Behav Assess 42, 450–463 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10862-019-09762-x

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