Presentation
Modeling the Interaction of Cognitive Effort and Emotional Responding in ADHD Using Multimodal Biosignal Simulation
SessionWednesday Poster Session
DescriptionAttention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is associated with executive-control and emotion-regulation difficulties that can impair functioning in cognitively demanding environments. However, little is known about how cognitive effort dynamically influences emotional reactivity under varying task demands. This study presents a simulation-based computational framework modeling effort–emotion interactions using synthetic multimodal physiological data parameterized from published electrodermal activity (EDA) and pupillometry research. Simulated neurotypical and computational ADHD-informed profiles were parameterized using empirically grounded differences in baseline arousal, effort variability, and effort–emotion coupling. Across a 2 (affective condition: low- vs high-arousal) × 3 (effort: low, medium, high) repeated-measures design, EDA-derived skin conductance responses showed divergent interaction patterns between groups. Increasing cognitive effort attenuated emotional reactivity in neurotypical profiles but amplified emotional reactivity in ADHD-informed profiles, consistent with theories of attentional redirection versus regulatory depletion. Importantly, this framework does not claim to reproduce clinical physiology directly; rather, it provides a transparent and reproducible infrastructure for generating testable hypotheses prior to human-subject experimentation. These findings have implications for adaptive educational technologies, workload-sensitive workplace systems, and future empirical studies integrating concurrent pupillometry and EDA measures in ADHD populations.
Event Type
Poster
TimeWednesday, October 21st5:30pm - 6:30pm PDT
LocationSummit Pavilion