Lohmann, Catharina (2024) ADHD, Executive Function and the Core Executive Function Working Memory in Students. Bachelor thesis, Psychology.
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Abstract
The symptoms of ADHD in adults are not fully known which may lead to underdiagnosis. This study examines Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) symptoms, executive functioning, and the core executive function working memory in the population of university students. A sample of 523 university students completed the Conners' Adult ADHD Rating Scales (CAARS) and the Executive Function Index (EFI). From this sample, 26 participants were selected for further testing based on their CAARS scores, to comple an abstract shapes task designed to measure working memory where memory load was increased in the second part of the task. Students with higher levels of ADHD had more problems with overall executive functioning, specifically with the executive functions: Impulse Control (IC), Strategic Planning (SP), and Organization (ORG). The abstract shapes task manipulation successfully differentiated working memory load, but higher levels of ADHD were not related to working memory performance. These results support the idea that ADHD symptoms in adults are associated with executive function deficits overall, including some specific functions. However, the anticipated relationship between ADHD and the core executive function working memory was not observed. A possible explanation is that the core executive function inhibition plays a more important role than working memory, highlighting that more research into core executive functions (working memory, inhibition, and set-shifting) is needed.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Bachelor) |
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| Supervisor name: | Borger, N.A. |
| Degree programme: | Psychology |
| Differentiation route: | None [Bachelor Psychology] |
| Date Deposited: | 24 Jul 2024 11:53 |
| Last Modified: | 24 Jul 2024 11:53 |
| URI: | http://gmwpublic.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/4122 |
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