Brief report: A randomized controlled trial of a digital working memory intervention for preschoolers displaying ADHD symptoms

Abstract

<p><strong>Purpose:</strong> This study aimed to investigate the effects of a self-paced digital working memory (WM) intervention on preschoolers with ADHD symptoms and explore the relation between WM and time perception (TP) through a randomized controlled trial. <strong>Method:</strong> Fifty preschoolers between four-to-six years of age (<em>M</em> = 4.93 years) were randomly assigned to three groups: a WM training group (WM; <em>n</em> = 14), a social-emotional (SE) training active control group (<em>n</em> = 15), and a waitlist control group (<em>n</em> = 21). Both the WM and SE groups received fifteen 10-minute self-paced digital training sessions over five consecutive weeks. <strong>Results: </strong>The digital WM training was effective in improving children’s digit span performance compared to the waitlist control group only. Within-group comparisons across two time points indicated a near-significant improvement in numeration and trends of reduced ADHD symptoms and improved TP tasks in the WM group at the post-test, but between-group differences were not observed.<strong> Conclusion:</strong> The study showed limited effects of the WM training on preschoolers displaying ADHD symptoms. However, the results implied an association between working memory and time perception that awaits further investigation.</p>