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Mechanisms of Learning in Adults With ADHD During an Ecologically-Valid Visual Discrimination Task.

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Title: Mechanisms of Learning in Adults With ADHD During an Ecologically-Valid Visual Discrimination Task.
Authors: Kuznetsova, Elizaveta1 (AUTHOR) elizaveta.kuznetsova@helsinki.fi, Tammi, Tuisku2 (AUTHOR), Postnova, Natalia1 (AUTHOR), Palomäki, Jussi3 (AUTHOR), Cowley, Benjamin Ultan1,2 (AUTHOR)
Source: Journal of Attention Disorders. Jan2026, Vol. 30 Issue 1, p38-56. 19p.
Subject Terms: *Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, *Cognitive psychology, *Educational intervention, *Attention control, *Learning strategies, Visual discrimination, Neural circuitry, Task performance
Abstract: Objective: Learning unfolds in distinct stages—acquisition, consolidation, and maintenance—shaped by cognitive mechanisms such as saliency processing, interference control, and sustained attention. ADHD in adults is associated with deficits in these cognitive processes, which in turn might lead to learning difficulties. Method: Using a novel protocol that incorporates a visual attention task with gestalt-image targets and primer distractors, we investigated these cognitive mechanisms across different stages of learning in 53 adults diagnosed with ADHD and 18 neurotypical Controls. Results: Our findings reveal that adults with ADHD exhibit reduced neural activations in the occipital and parietal areas, indicating diminished bottom-up visual processing and challenges in handling distractions. Nevertheless, individuals with ADHD demonstrate increased frontal activity in the late stages of visual processing, suggesting compensatory mechanisms employed by the group. Behaviorally, both groups achieve comparable performance, though ADHD participants do so at the expense of greater variability and attentional lapses. Furthermore, while Controls reach the plateau already after the acquisition phase, the ADHD group is gradually improving its performance throughout the experiment. Conclusion: These findings demonstrate that adults with ADHD can acquire and retain new skills but do so through different—and usually more effortful—pathways. By mapping neural and behavioral dynamics onto learning stages, this study offers a more nuanced framework for learning in ADHD and supports the development of phase-specific intervention strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Journal of Attention Disorders is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Education Research Complete
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DbLabel: Education Research Complete
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PubType: Academic Journal
PubTypeId: academicJournal
PreciseRelevancyScore: 0
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  Data: Mechanisms of Learning in Adults With ADHD During an Ecologically-Valid Visual Discrimination Task.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Kuznetsova%2C+Elizaveta%22">Kuznetsova, Elizaveta</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> elizaveta.kuznetsova@helsinki.fi</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Tammi%2C+Tuisku%22">Tammi, Tuisku</searchLink><relatesTo>2</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Postnova%2C+Natalia%22">Postnova, Natalia</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Palomäki%2C+Jussi%22">Palomäki, Jussi</searchLink><relatesTo>3</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Cowley%2C+Benjamin+Ultan%22">Cowley, Benjamin Ultan</searchLink><relatesTo>1,2</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Journal+of+Attention+Disorders%22">Journal of Attention Disorders</searchLink>. Jan2026, Vol. 30 Issue 1, p38-56. 19p.
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  Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Attention-deficit+hyperactivity+disorder%22">Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Cognitive+psychology%22">Cognitive psychology</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Educational+intervention%22">Educational intervention</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Attention+control%22">Attention control</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Learning+strategies%22">Learning strategies</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Visual+discrimination%22">Visual discrimination</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Neural+circuitry%22">Neural circuitry</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Task+performance%22">Task performance</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: Objective: Learning unfolds in distinct stages—acquisition, consolidation, and maintenance—shaped by cognitive mechanisms such as saliency processing, interference control, and sustained attention. ADHD in adults is associated with deficits in these cognitive processes, which in turn might lead to learning difficulties. Method: Using a novel protocol that incorporates a visual attention task with gestalt-image targets and primer distractors, we investigated these cognitive mechanisms across different stages of learning in 53 adults diagnosed with ADHD and 18 neurotypical Controls. Results: Our findings reveal that adults with ADHD exhibit reduced neural activations in the occipital and parietal areas, indicating diminished bottom-up visual processing and challenges in handling distractions. Nevertheless, individuals with ADHD demonstrate increased frontal activity in the late stages of visual processing, suggesting compensatory mechanisms employed by the group. Behaviorally, both groups achieve comparable performance, though ADHD participants do so at the expense of greater variability and attentional lapses. Furthermore, while Controls reach the plateau already after the acquisition phase, the ADHD group is gradually improving its performance throughout the experiment. Conclusion: These findings demonstrate that adults with ADHD can acquire and retain new skills but do so through different—and usually more effortful—pathways. By mapping neural and behavioral dynamics onto learning stages, this study offers a more nuanced framework for learning in ADHD and supports the development of phase-specific intervention strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Journal of Attention Disorders is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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        Value: 10.1177/10870547251356744
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        Text: English
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      – SubjectFull: Educational intervention
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      – SubjectFull: Learning strategies
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      – SubjectFull: Visual discrimination
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      – SubjectFull: Neural circuitry
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      – SubjectFull: Task performance
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      – TitleFull: Mechanisms of Learning in Adults With ADHD During an Ecologically-Valid Visual Discrimination Task.
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              Text: Jan2026
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              Y: 2026
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