Behavioral Inhibition Improvement Through an Emotional Working Memory (EWM) Training Intervention in Children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

摘要

The study was undertaken to examine the effects of a short-term Emotional Working Memory (EWM) training program on executive reaction of time and executive functions. The sample of 20 children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) was randomly assigned to a EWM training (n = 11) and an active control group (n = 9). Our study hypothesized that an increase in ADHD inattention and ADHD impulsive during the first weeks of the referral would lead to weak executive functions in the control group, but not in the EWM training group, due to the EWM intervention. The results revealed the beneficial effects of executive functions in the EWM group, but not in the control group. According to our data, executive reaction ability of time increased in the EWM training group but remained unchanged in the control group. Even a rather short intervention of 1.5h can protect children with ADHD from weak executive functions at the beginning of the referral.