Table 2 Summary of results showing pooled standardized mean differences (SMD; with Hedges’ g adjustment) between treatment and control arms for laboratory measures of neuropsychological and academic outcomes measured at the first assessment after the final CCT session. Significant values are bolded.

From: Computerized cognitive training in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials with blinded and objective outcomes

    

Effect size estimate

Heterogeneity

Outcome

Trials Included

Study N

Total N

SMD

95%CI

p

I2

p*

Neuropsychological

Attention

All

17

836

0.14

−0.04 to 0.32

0.13

39

0.05

 

Semi-active control

12

500

0.14

−0.05 to 0.32

0.14

6

0.38

 

MED

6

297

0.04

−0.22 to 0.30

0.76

18

0.29

 

WMT

9

543

0.05

−0.12 to 0.23

0.56

5

0.39

 

MPT

6

226

0.36

−0.08 to 0.80

0.11

60

0.03

 

Children/adolescents

14

701

0.1

−0.10 to 0.30

0.32

36

0.11

 

Adults

3

na

na

na

na

na

na

 

Non-commercially funded

15

765

0.08

−0.08 to 0.23

0.33

14

0.30

Interference Inhibition

All

8

356

0.10

−0.32 to 0.51

0.65

73

<0.001

 

Semi-active control

7

289

0.12

−0.38 to 0.61

0.65

77

<0.001

 

MED

4

na

na

na

na

na

na

 

WMT

4

na

na

na

na

na

na

 

MPT

4

na

na

na

na

na

na

 

Children/adolescents

7

326

−0.05

−0.40 to 0.31

0.80

61

0.02

 

Adults

1

na

na

na

na

na

na

 

Non-commercially funded

5

242

0.13

−0.38 to 0.64

0.61

73

0.005

Motor Inhibition

All

15

827

0.15

−0.03 to 0.33

0.10

37

0.07

 

Semi-active control

11

533

0.24

0.05 to 0.43

0.01

13

0.32

 

MED

6

315

0.18

−0.09 to 0.46

0.19

30

0.21

 

WMT

8

520

0.14

−0.04 to 0.33

0.13

13

0.33

 

MPT

6

272

0.15

−0.27 to 0.57

0.49

65

0.01

 

Children/adolescents

12

692

0.18

−0.02 to 0.39

0.08

44

0.5

 

Adults

3

na

na

na

na

na

na

 

Non-commercially funded

14

798

0.12

−0.06 to 0.29

0.18

32

0.12

Non-Verbal Reasoning

All

6

312

0.05

−0.17 to 0.28

0.63

0

0.92

 

Semi-active control

6

312

0.05

−0.17 to 0.28

0.63

0

0.92

 

MED

3

na

na

na

na

na

na

 

WMT

5

251

0.07

−0.18 to 0.31

0.59

0

0.85

 

MPT

1

na

na

na

na

na

na

 

Children/adolescents

5

268

0.05

−0.19 to 0.29

0.7

0

0.85

 

Adults

1

na

na

na

na

na

na

 

Non-commercially funded

4

268

0.03

−0.21 to 0.27

0.83

0

0.91

Processing Speed

All

8

393

−0.18

−0.40 to 0.03

0.1

10

0.35

 

Semi-active control

5

166

−0.33

−0.73 to 0.06

0.1

35

0.19

 

MED

3

na

na

na

na

na

na

 

WMT

3

na

na

na

na

na

na

 

MPT

4

na

na

na

na

na

na

 

Children/adolescents

6

302

−0.15

−0.38 to 0.08

0.19

0

0.73

 

Adults

2

na

na

na

na

na

na

 

Non-commercially funded

7

364

−0.16

−0.40 to 0.07

0.17

17

0.30

Set-Shifting

All

5

247

0.22

−0.09 to 0.53

0.17

30

0.22

 

Semi-active control

4

na

na

na

na

na

na

 

MED

4

na

na

na

na

na

na

 

WMT

2

na

na

na

na

na

na

 

MPT

2

na

na

na

na

na

na

 

Children/adolescents

4

na

na

na

na

na

na

 

Adults

1

na

na

na

na

na

na

 

Non-commercially funded

0

na

na

na

na

na

na

Verbal WM

All

15

753

0.38

0.24 to 0.53

<0.001

19

0.24

 

Semi-active control

12

528

0.28

0.12 to 0.44

<0.001

0

0.83

 

MED

5

253

0.31

0.05 to 0.57

0.02

0

0.86

 

WMT

12

624

0.43

0.26 to 0.60

<0.001

28

0.17

 

MPT

2

na

na

na

na

na

na

 

Children/adolescents

10

547

0.31

0.16 to 0.45

<0.001

0

0.62

 

Adults

5

206

0.49

0.13 to 0.84

0.007

42

0.12

 

Non-commercially funded

13

680

0.39

0.23 to 0.55

<0.001

25

0.19

Visuospatial WM

All

9

441

0.49

0.31 to 0.67

<0.001

27

0.20

 

Active control

6

247

0.40

0.14 to 0.65

0.002

38

0.16

 

MED

3

na

na

na

na

na

na

 

WMT

7

351

0.43

0.23 to 0.63

<0.001

29

0.20

 

MPT

2

na

na

na

na

na

na

 

Children/adolescents

6

316

0.49

0.25 to 0.73

<0.001

48

0.09

 

Adults

3

na

na

na

na

na

na

 

Non-commercially funded

7

368

0.44

0.25 to 0.63

<0.001

29

0.91

Academic

Arithmetic ability

All

9

516

0

−0.11 to 0.11

0.98

0

0.73

 

Semi-active control

5

295

0.1

−0.13 to 0.33

0.4

0

0.62

 

MED

na

na

na

na

na

na

na

 

WMT

7

430

0.07

−0.12 to 0.26

0.48

0

0.81

 

MPT

na

na

na

na

na

na

na

 

Children/adolescents

8

452

0.00

−0.11 to 0.11

0.99

0

0.63

 

Adults

1

na

na

na

na

na

na

 

Non-commercially funded

8

476

0.01

−0.11 to 0.12

0.93

0

0.65

Reading comprehension

All

8

450

0.18

−0.01 to 0.36

0.06

0

0.43

 

Semi-active control

6

343

0.12

−0.09 to 0.33

0.27

0

0.51

 

MED

3

na

na

na

na

na

na

 

WMT

7

414

0.14

−0.05 to 0.34

0.15

0

0.46

 

MPT

0

Na

na

na

na

na

na

 

Children/adolescents

8

450

0.18

−0.01 to 0.36

0.06

0

0.43

 

Adults

0

na

na

na

na

na

na

 

Non-commercially funded

7

410

0.19

−0.02 to 0.40

0.07

0.35

11

Reading fluency

All

7

445

0.03

−0.06 to 0.11

0.55

0

0.55

 

Semi-active control

2

na

na

na

na

na

na

 

MED

na

na

na

na

na

na

na

 

WMT

6

395

0.05

−0.15 to 0.25

0.59

0

0.43

 

MPT

na

na

na

na

na

na

na

 

Children/adolescents

6

381

0.04

−0.05 to 0.13

0.44

0

0.58

 

Adults

1

na

na

na

na

na

na

 

Non-commercially funded

6

405

0.02

−0.07 to 0.11

0.64

0

0.53

  1. ADHD attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, CI Confidence Intervals, I2 percentage of between-study variation across SMDs that is due to heterogeneity rather than chance, MED only a minority (i.e., <30%) of participants were receiving medication, MPT multi-process training, N sample size, SMD Hedges’ g, WM working memory, WMT working memory training.
  2. *p-values from Q – i.e., the chi-squared test statistic.