Watching reasoning at work: eye movement patterns of participants with ADHD solving Raven´s matrices

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) has been associated with broad cognitive deficits, particularly in tasks regarding working memory and executive control. However, how individuals with ADHD process visual reasoning tasks remains largely unclear. In typically developing (TD) individuals, two main problem-solving strategies have been described for Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices (RSPM): Constructive Matching (CM) is an efficient processing style involving hypothesis generation and integration of relations in working memory, whereas Answer Elimination (AE) is a less demanding trial-and-error approach. This study examined group differences in processing style using eye-tracking during RSPM solving and explored the role of individual cognitive ability in strategy use. Seventy-nine participants (38 ADHD, 41 TD) completed a validated 9-item short form of the RSPM while their eye movements were recorded. Gaze parameters reflecting CM, AE and speed parameters were analyzed. Participants with ADHD showed reduced RSPM accuracy alongside normal CM and adaptation to increasing item difficulty. In this group, furthermore, RSPM item difficulty interacted with Culture Fair Test(CFT)-assessed intelligence such that CM-related adaptation to trial difficulty from easy to medium items (but not medium to hard) was more pronounced in participants with ADHD with higher CFT-assessed intelligence. This association with CFT-assessed intelligence was absent in controls. Our findings suggest that participants with ADHD show normal RSPM processing style (CM and adaptation to varying task demands) despite reduced accuracy and that higher intelligence may improve processing style up to a certain point of task complexity. Our results confirm the assumed compensatory role of intelligence for cognition in ADHD.