- Random number sequence- participants listened and recited the numbers that they heard to find their digit span 
- 3 conditions- full load, half load, and zero load
- Full load- maximum digit span - 1 
- Half load- dependent on whether the maximum digit span was even or odd; if even, maximum digit span/2. If odd, maximum digit span-1 divided by 2 
- Interference and attention to the primary task: Tried to balance participants' cognitive load through increasing the load on working memory 

Memory Load Task - Digit Span 

- Participants chose between less money the same day vs. more money in a later day 
- Rewards: €1–€11, €2–€12, €3–€13 and €4–€14,
- Time delays: 1 week, 1 month, 6 months and 1 year

Delayed Reward Task 

- Preliminary Working Memory Task 
- Delayed Reward Task 

Washtenaw Community College

- Replication of Hinson, Jameson, & Whitney, 2003- association between executive control system and impulsivity 
- Participants included 30 kids with ADHD, confirmed through teacher observation and rating, IQ tests, and psychologists' confirmation. 
- Researchers measured participants' digit span to distract them from the main task of delayed discounting - hypothetical money task
- Participants chose to collect less money during the same day or to collect more money later 
- Participants completed 16 trials 

The Present Study: Fabio et al., 2020

Fabio, R. A., Bianco, M., Caprì, T., Marino, F., Ruta, L., Vagni, D., & Pioggia, G. (2020). Working memory and decision making in children with ADHD: An analysis of delay discounting with the use of the dual-task paradigm. BMC Psychiatry, 20(272). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-020-02677-y



Fabio et al., 2020

- Memory Load (Zero load, half load, full load) - measured via participants' digit span 
- Time delays (1 week, 1 month, 6 months, 1 year) 
- Various monetary rewards: €1–€11, €2–€12,
€3–€13 and €4–€14

Conditions of the Experiment- Fabio et al., 2020 

- Researchers utilized the Concepts of Time and Money Questionnaire (CTMQ) to make sure participants understood the directions of the task 
- Time, space, and money can be difficult to understand for ADHDers
- First study to assess working memory simultaneously with delayed discounting in kids with ADHD

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