Measuring the Performance of Attention Networks with the Dalhousie Computerized Attention Battery (DalCAB): Methodology and Reliability in Healthy Adults

Jones, Stephanie; Butler, Beverly; Kintzel, Franziska; Johnson, Anne; Klein, Raymond M.; Eskes, Gail A.

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00823

Cited by 21 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 90 publications

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“…Reaction times (RTs), measured in ms, were collected for each DalCAB task. Only correct responses >100 ms which fell within the trial length [varied by task, see ( 18 )] were included in analyses of RTs for all tasks. Accuracy was also calculated for each task, with accuracy defined specifically for each task (as described in Results).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Given the limitations of available measures of attention, the Dalhousie Computerized Attention Battery (DalCAB) was developed, based on the Posner and Peterson model ( 10 ), to simultaneously assess the vigilance, orienting, and executive control networks of attention. The DalCAB includes eight psychometrically stable computerized tasks that assess these networks, and has been shown to have good test-retest reliability ( 18 ) as well as construct validity as a measure of all three networks ( 19 ). In the present study, healthy female participants were assigned to either sleep restriction or control groups.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Acute Sleep Restriction Has Differential Effects on Components of Attention

et al. 2018

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Inadequate nightly sleep duration can impair daytime functioning, including interfering with attentional and other cognitive processes. Current models posit that attention is a complex function regulated by several separate, but interacting, neural systems responsible for vigilance, orienting, and executive control. However, it is not clear to what extent each of these underlying component processes is affected by sleep loss. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of acute sleep restriction on these attentional components using the Dalhousie Computerized Attention Battery (DalCAB). DalCAB tasks were administered to healthy women (aged 19–25 years) on two consecutive mornings: once after a night with 9 h time in bed (TIB), and once again after either another night with 9 h TIB (control condition, n = 19) or after a night with 3 h TIB (sleep restriction condition, n = 20). Self-ratings of sleepiness and mood were also obtained following each sleep condition. Participants showed increases in self-reported sleepiness and fatigue after the second night only in the sleep restriction group. Sleep restriction primarily affected processing speed on tasks measuring vigilance; however, performance deficits were also observed on some measures of executive function (e.g., go/no-go task, flanker task, working memory). Tasks assessing orienting of attention were largely unaffected. These results indicate that acute sleep restriction has differential effects on distinct components of attention, which should be considered in modeling the impacts of sleep loss on the underlying attentional networks.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Acute Sleep Restriction Has Differential Effects on Components of Attention

et al. 2018

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“…Our Go accuracy omnibus regression results allude to the notion that while red and green stimuli are rigid and habitual in triggering stop/go actions, blue and purple stimuli are not strongly associated with either of the stop/go outcomes, but instead are labile and sensitive to the changes in action-outcome contingencies. Possibly, because Go accuracy has been used as an index of attention [34,35], these results may be due to heightened recruitment of attentional processing when contingencies are familiar and congruent with daily experiences. However, the Go accuracy results are sensitive to the inclusion of controlled covariates (which we had elected to exclude from the primary mixed-design ANOVA due to the lack of differences between groups).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As a secondary measure of outcome-sensitivity, identical analyses were performed using Go accuracy as dependent variable (DV). Go accuracy has been used as an index of attention [34,35]; here, we used Go accuracy to examine whether attention is recruited differently across familiar and novel associations (e.g., familiarity may recruit attentional processes to aid in executing color-response associations when these mappings are congruent with daily experiences, such as increased green-Go performance compared to red-Go).…”

Section: Plos Onementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Post-hoc paired-samples t-tests were carried out when necessary to examine mapping-related accuracy differences in both Feedback groups. As a supplemental measure of outcome-sensitivity, identical tests were performed using Go accuracy (i.e., a marker of attentional processing, [34,35]) as the DV. Similar analyses were performed with Go RT as DV to further explore the data.…”

Section: Plos Onementioning

confidence: 99%

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Demonstrating and disrupting well-learned habits

2020

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Researchers have exerted tremendous efforts to empirically study how habits form and dominate at the expense of deliberation, yet we know very little about breaking these rigid habits to restore goal-directed control. In a three-experiment study, we first illustrate a novel approach of studying well-learned habits, in order to effectively demonstrate habit disruption. In Experiment 1, we use a Go/NoGo task with familiar color-response associations to demonstrate outcome-insensitivity when compared to novel, more flexible associations. Specifically, subjects perform more accurately when the required mapping is the familiar association of green-Go/red-NoGo than when it is red-Go/green-NoGo, confirming outcome-insensitive, habitual control. As a control condition, subjects show equivalent performance with unfamiliar color-response mappings (using the colors blue and purple mapped to Go and NoGo responses). Next, in Experiments 2 and 3, we test a motivation-based feedback manipulation in varying magnitudes (i.e., performance feedback with and without monetary incentives) to break the well-established habits elicited by our familiar stimuli. We find that although performance feedback prior to the contingency reversal test is insufficient to disrupt outcome-insensitivity in Experiment 2, a combination of performance feedback and monetary incentive is able to restore goal-directed control in Experiment 3, effectively breaking the habits. As the first successful demonstration of well-learned habit disruption in the laboratory, these findings provide new insights into how we execute and modify habits, while fostering new and translational research avenues that may be applicable to treating habit-based pathologies.

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Neurobiological effects of exercise intervention for premenstrual syndrome

Hwang

Chen

et al. 2022

Cogn Neurodyn

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Measuring the Performance of Attention Networks with the Dalhousie Computerized Attention Battery (DalCAB): Methodology and Reliability in Healthy Adults

Cited by 21 publications

References 90 publications

Acute Sleep Restriction Has Differential Effects on Components of Attention

Acute Sleep Restriction Has Differential Effects on Components of Attention

Demonstrating and disrupting well-learned habits

Neurobiological effects of exercise intervention for premenstrual syndrome

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