How much do 'attention' tests tell us?

Schmidt, Michael M.; Trueblood, William; Merwin, Michelle M.; Durham, Robert L.

doi:10.1093/arclin/9.5.383

Cited by 29 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…The Arithmetic test formed the fourth factor. These findings are in line with previous factor analytic studies of neuropsychological tests (Mirsky et al, 1991;Schmidt et al, 1994).…”

Section: The Five-factor Structuresupporting

confidence: 92%

“…Mirsky et al (1991) found that many tests loaded onto a "perceptualmotor speed" factor (including Stroop, the Trail Making Test, Digit Symbol Coding, and Digit Cancellation), a "numerical-mnemonic" factor (Digit Span and Arithmetic) a "vigilance" factor (Continuous Performance Test) and a "flexibility" factor (Wisconsin Card Sorting Test). Schmidt et al (1994) found separate factors for "scanning" (Stroop, TMT-A & -B, Digit Symbol Coding) and "spanning" (Visual Span, Digit Span Forwards, Digit Span Backwards).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 92%

“…Neuropsychological tests tend to be developed from a practical rather than a theoretical standpoint, and often tap multiple cognitive abilities in a single test (Sohlberg & Mateer, 1989). This means that it is often difficult to know exactly what cognitive faculties are being measured by a given test (Kessels, 2019;Schmidt et al, 1994). The Digit Symbol Coding test, for example, is a widely used neuropsychological test that is variously held to measure attention, psychomotor speed, working memory, processing speed, and executive function (Horowitz et al, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Historically, the neuropsychological tests used to measure attention have not been grounded in attentional theory (Mirsky et al, 1991;Schmidt et al, 1994). Tests such as Digit Span (measuring the number of digits participants can recall) and Arithmetic (ability to solve mathematical word problems) would seem to have little relationship to attention, since they do not require any sort of selection or filtering.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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How do we measure attention? Using factor analysis to establish construct validity of neuropsychological tests

Treviño

Zhu

et al. 2021

Cogn. Research

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We investigated whether standardized neuropsychological tests and experimental cognitive paradigms measure the same cognitive faculties. Specifically, do neuropsychological tests commonly used to assess attention measure the same construct as attention paradigms used in cognitive psychology and neuroscience? We built on the “general attention factor”, comprising several widely used experimental paradigms (Huang et al., 2012). Participants (n = 636) completed an on-line battery (TestMyBrain.org) of six experimental tests [Multiple Object Tracking, Flanker Interference, Visual Working Memory, Approximate Number Sense, Spatial Configuration Visual Search, and Gradual Onset Continuous Performance Task (Grad CPT)] and eight neuropsychological tests [Trail Making Test versions A & B (TMT-A, TMT-B), Digit Symbol Coding, Forward and Backward Digit Span, Letter Cancellation, Spatial Span, and Arithmetic]. Exploratory factor analysis in a subset of 357 participants identified a five-factor structure: (1) attentional capacity (Multiple Object Tracking, Visual Working Memory, Digit Symbol Coding, Spatial Span), (2) search (Visual Search, TMT-A, TMT-B, Letter Cancellation); (3) Digit Span; (4) Arithmetic; and (5) Sustained Attention (GradCPT). Confirmatory analysis in 279 held-out participants showed that this model fit better than competing models. A hierarchical model where a general cognitive factor was imposed above the five specific factors fit as well as the model without the general factor. We conclude that Digit Span and Arithmetic tests should not be classified as attention tests. Digit Symbol Coding and Spatial Span tap attentional capacity, while TMT-A, TMT-B, and Letter Cancellation tap search (or attention-shifting) ability. These five tests can be classified as attention tests.

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“…The Arithmetic test formed the fourth factor. These findings are in line with previous factor analytic studies of neuropsychological tests (Mirsky et al, 1991;Schmidt et al, 1994).…”

Section: The Five-factor Structuresupporting

confidence: 92%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 92%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

How do we measure attention? Using factor analysis to establish construct validity of neuropsychological tests

Treviño

Zhu

et al. 2021

Cogn. Research

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Many of the commonly employed attention tests are not based on a theoretical model of attention (Schmidt, Trueblood, & Merwin, 1994;Sohlberg & Mateer, 1989). In addition, factor analyses of these tests have revealed that the set of standard attention tests is multi-dimensional (de Jong & Das-Smaal, 1993;Mirsky, Anthony, Duncan, Ahearn, & Kellam, 1991;Schmidt et al, 1994;Shum, McFarland, & Bain, 1990).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of Attention: Further Validation of the Star Counting Test

Jong

1995

European Journal of Psychological Assessment

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Two studies are presented in which the validity of the Star Counting Test (SCT), an attention test for children, was examined. In the first study the test was administered to a sample of 339 elementary school children of 9 years old. In addition, a commonly used achievement test for reading comprehension was administered and teacher-ratings of attention behavior and other classroom behaviors were gathered. Results showed that the SCT is related to teacher-ratings of attention and much weaker to other classroom behaviors. In addition, the relationship of the SCT with attention behavior could be separated from the relationship of reading comprehension with attention behavior. In the second study the SCT and a number of standard attention tests were administered to a group of children with attention problems and a group of normal controls. The performance of the latter group appeared to be better on the SCT and on standard attention tests reflecting working memory. No differences were found between the groups on attention tests that measure predominantly perceptual motor speed. In general, the results of the study tend to support the validity of the SCT.

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References

2016

Handbook of Psychological Assessment

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How much do 'attention' tests tell us?

Cited by 29 publications

References 18 publications

How do we measure attention? Using factor analysis to establish construct validity of neuropsychological tests

How do we measure attention? Using factor analysis to establish construct validity of neuropsychological tests

Assessment of Attention: Further Validation of the Star Counting Test

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