Episodic memory is our ability to remember personal experiences and events, like what we had for dinner last night or a childhood birthday party.
People with ADHD often face difficulties with episodic memory, particularly in recalling details or the order of events.
This can impact their daily lives, making it challenging to remember appointments, follow conversations, or learn from past experiences.
Understanding how memory strategies can be used to support episodic memory in ADHD is crucial for improving their quality of life.
Laine, M., Kunnari, A., Eräste, T., Ritakallio, L., Hedberg, B., & Salmi, J. (2025). The role of spontaneous strategy use in verbal episodic memory impairment in adult ADHD. Journal of Neuropsychology. https://doi.org/10.1111/jnp.12416
Key Points
- Adults with ADHD demonstrated lower performance in verbal episodic memory compared to neurotypical controls.
- Both groups showed similar efficacy in their use of memory strategies.
- The ADHD group exhibited less versatile and detailed strategy use.
- The findings suggest that verbal memory impairments in adult ADHD may be linked to limitations in spontaneous strategy use.
- Future research should explore the potential of external strategy instruction to improve verbal memory in individuals with ADHD.
Rationale
Adults with ADHD often experience challenges with verbal episodic memory, particularly in encoding or the initial learning of new information.
This difficulty may be linked to executive function deficits, which are common in ADHD. Executive functions are cognitive processes that help us plan, organize, and regulate our behavior.
They are essential for effective memory encoding, as they allow us to focus our attention, select relevant information, and use strategies to store information in long-term memory.
Research suggests that difficulties in attention, planning, and cognitive control may contribute to verbal memory encoding impairment in ADHD. However, the specific mechanisms underlying this impairment are not yet fully understood.
This study aimed to examine the role of spontaneous mnemonic strategy use in verbal episodic memory deficits in adults with ADHD.
Spontaneous mnemonic strategies are techniques that people naturally use to improve their memory, such as rehearsal, elaboration, and organization.
By investigating how adults with ADHD use these strategies, the study sought to shed light on the cognitive processes underlying their memory difficulties.
Method
Procedure
- Participants were recruited through the online platform Prolific.
- They completed a series of prescreening questionnaires to assess ADHD diagnosis, demographics, medical history, and psychiatric symptoms.
- Eligible participants engaged in five online testing sessions on separate weekdays.
- In the Word List Learning task, participants were presented with an 18-word list three times.
- After each presentation, they were asked to recall as many words as possible and describe their memory strategies.
Sample
- 81 adults with ADHD
- 209 neurotypical controls
- No significant group differences in age, gender, education level, or general cognitive ability.
Measures
- Word List Learning task: Assesses verbal episodic memory by measuring the number of correctly recalled words.
- Open-ended strategy reports: Provides qualitative data on participants’ spontaneous memory strategies.
Statistical measures
- Bayesian factors (BFs) were used to analyze the data.
- Linear Mixed Effects (LME) models were employed to investigate change over time.
Results
Hypothesis 1: Adults with ADHD would exhibit lower verbal episodic memory performance compared to neurotypical controls.
Result: Supported. The ADHD group recalled significantly fewer words than the control group.
Hypothesis 2: Strategy users in the ADHD group would show relatively less advantage in word recall compared to their non-strategy-using peers.
Result: Not supported. The effectiveness of strategy use was similar between the groups.
Hypothesis 3: Strategy use would be more limited in the ADHD group.
Result: Supported. The ADHD group reported using fewer strategy types and provided less detailed strategy descriptions.
Insight
The study provides compelling evidence that verbal episodic memory impairments in adults with ADHD are not primarily due to the ineffectiveness of their memory strategies, but rather to the limited versatility and detail of their spontaneous strategy use.
This finding challenges previous assumptions about the nature of memory deficits in ADHD and suggests that interventions targeting strategy generation and elaboration could be beneficial.
The study’s use of a novel online paradigm and Bayesian statistical analysis enhances its methodological rigor and generalizability.
Furthermore, the inclusion of open-ended strategy reports offers valuable qualitative insights into the cognitive processes underlying memory performance in ADHD.
Future research could extend these findings by exploring the impact of external strategy instruction on verbal memory in ADHD.
It would also be valuable to investigate the neural mechanisms associated with spontaneous strategy use in this population.
Implications
The findings have significant implications for practitioners working with adults with ADHD. They suggest that interventions focusing on memory strategy training could be effective in improving verbal episodic memory performance.
Such training could involve teaching a variety of mnemonic techniques, encouraging the generation of detailed strategy descriptions, and promoting the flexible use of strategies across different memory tasks.
Policymakers should consider the importance of incorporating memory strategy instruction into educational and vocational programs for individuals with ADHD.
This could help to mitigate the academic and occupational challenges often associated with memory deficits in this population.
While the potential benefits of implementing these findings are substantial, challenges may include the time and resources required for effective strategy training, as well as the need for individualized approaches to address the heterogeneity of ADHD.
Strengths
This study had several methodological strengths, including:
- Large and well-characterized sample
- Novel online paradigm with high ecological validity
- Comprehensive assessment of memory strategy use
- Rigorous Bayesian statistical analysis
Limitations
This study also had several limitations, including:
- Self-reported ADHD diagnosis
- Potential impact of medication use on memory performance
- Limited generalizability to other memory domains
References
Primary reference
Laine, M., Kunnari, A., Eräste, T., Ritakallio, L., Hedberg, B., & Salmi, J. (2025). The role of spontaneous strategy use in verbal episodic memory impairment in adult ADHD. Journal of Neuropsychology. https://doi.org/10.1111/jnp.12416
Other references
Comoldi, C., Barbieri, A., Gaiani, C., & Zocchi, S. (1999). Strategic memory deficits in attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity participants: The role of executive processes. Developmental Neuropsychology, 15(1), 53-71. https://doi.org/10.1080/87565649909540739
Egeland, J., Nordby Johansen, S., & Ueland, T. (2010). Do Low-Effort Learning Strategies Mediate Impaired Memory in ADHD? Journal of Learning Disabilities. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022219409355473
Fellman, D., Jylkkä, J., Waris, O., Soveri, A., Ritakallio, L., Haga, S., Salmi, J., Nyman, T. J., & Laine, M. (2020). The role of strategy use in working memory training outcomes. Journal of Memory and Language, 110, 104064. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jml.2019.104064
Skodzik, T., Holling, H., & Pedersen, A. (2013). Long-Term Memory Performance in Adult ADHD. Journal of Attention Disorders. https://doi.org/10.1177/1087054713510561
Waris, O., Fellman, D., Jylkkä, J., & Laine, M. (2021). Stimulus novelty, task demands, and strategy use in episodic memory. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1177/1747021820980301
Willcutt, E. G., Doyle, A. E., Nigg, J. T., Faraone, S. V., & Pennington, B. F. (2005). Validity of the Executive Function Theory of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Meta-Analytic Review. Biological Psychiatry, 57(11), 1336-1346. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2005.02.006
Keep learning
- How might the study’s findings inform the development of more effective interventions for memory deficits in ADHD?
- What are the potential ethical considerations associated with memory strategy training in ADHD?
- Could the limited strategy use observed in the ADHD group be attributed to factors other than executive function deficits?
- How might the study’s online paradigm be adapted to investigate other cognitive domains in ADHD?
- What are the potential societal implications of improving memory function in individuals with ADHD?
- How can the research on memory strategies in ADHD be translated into practical recommendations for educators and employers?
