Abstract
The self-memory system depends on the prioritisation and capture of self-relevant information, so may be disrupted by difficulties in attending to, encoding and retrieving self-relevant information. The current study compares memory for self-referenced and other-referenced items in children with ADHD and typically-developing comparison groups matched for verbal and chronological age. Children aged 5-14 (N=90) were presented with everyday objects alongside an own-face image (self-reference trials) or an unknown child’s image (other-referenced trials). They were asked whether the child shown would like the object, before completing a surprise source memory test. In a second task, children performed, and watched another person perform, a series of actions before their memory for the actions was tested. A significant self-reference effect (SRE) was found in the typically-developing children (i.e., both verbal and chronological age-matched comparison groups) for the first task, with significantly better memory for self-referenced than other-referenced objects. However, children with ADHD showed no SRE, suggesting a compromised ability to bind information with the cognitive self-concept. In the second task, all groups showed superior memory for actions carried out by the self, suggesting a preserved enactment effect in ADHD. Implications and applications for the self-memory system in ADHD are discussed.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 348-358 |
Number of pages | 11 |
Journal | British Journal of Developmental Psychology |
Volume | 42 |
Issue number | 3 |
Early online date | 25 Apr 2024 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Sept 2024 |
Keywords
- attention
- attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
- enactment effect
- memory
- self
- self-reference effect
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Developmental and Educational Psychology
- Developmental Neuroscience