Modeling the Interaction of Cognitive Effort and Emotional Responding in ADHD Using Multimodal Biosignal Simulation

Abstract

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is associated with executive-control and emotion-regulation difficulties that may impair functioning in cognitively demanding environments. However, less is known about how cognitive effort dynamically alters emotional reactivity under varying task demands. This study presents a theory-informed simulation framework modeling effort–emotion interactions using synthetic multimodal physiological data parameterized from published electrodermal activity (EDA) and pupillometry research. Simulated neurotypical and ADHD-informed profiles differed 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 demonstrated 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. Rather than reproducing clinical physiology directly, the framework provides a transparent infrastructure for generating testable hypotheses prior to empirical multimodal psychophysiology research.