ERIC Number: EJ836791
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2009
Pages: 8
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1087-0547
EISSN: N/A
A Pilot Study of Working Memory and Academic Achievement in College Students with ADHD
Gropper, Rachel J.; Tannock, Rosemary
Journal of Attention Disorders, v12 n6 p574-581 2009
Objective: To investigate working memory (WM), academic achievement, and their relationship in university students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Method: Participants were university students with previously confirmed diagnoses of ADHD (n = 16) and normal control (NC) students (n = 30). Participants completed 3 auditory--verbal WM measures, 2 visual--spatial WM measures, and 1 control executive function task. Also, they self-reported grade point averages (GPAs) based on university courses. Results: The ADHD group displayed significant weaknesses on auditory--verbal WM tasks and 1 visual--spatial task. They also showed a nonsignificant trend for lower GPAs. Within the entire sample, there was a significant relationship between GPA and auditory--verbal WM. Conclusion: WM impairments are evident in a subgroup of the ADHD population attending university. WM abilities are linked with, and thus may compromise, academic attainment. Parents and physicians are advised to counsel university-bound students with ADHD to contact the university accessibility services to provide them with academic guidance. (Contains 2 tables.)
Descriptors: Grade Point Average, Academic Achievement, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Short Term Memory, Correlation, College Students, Spatial Ability, Auditory Perception, Visual Perception, At Risk Students, Foreign Countries
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Canada
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A