Measurement of development of cognitive and attention functions in children using continuous performance test

Abstract

Aim:The development of attention function in children is still not sufficiently clear. Although it is difficult to objectively assess attention function, continuous performance tests (CPT) can be used to objectively assess cognitive function along with attention. The development of cognitive and attention functions was examined in children using a CPT.Methods: A total of 541 healthy girls aged 5-12 years participated. Ten parameters were calculated: numbers of cancellations for either target stimuli (T-cancel) or non-target stimuli (N-cancel), numbers of omission errors (Omission) and commission errors (Commission), hit rate (Hit), false alarm rate (False), mean reaction time for correct response (RT), coefficient of variance for mean reaction time (CVRT), sensitivity index (d′), and lnb. Results:The parameters were divided into three types based on pattern of change. T-cancel, False, and Commission, which are related to inhibition of response, N-cancel, Hit, and Omission, which are related to inattention to stimuli, and CVRT, which is related to stability of processing time, exhibited significant change until 5 or 6 years of age. d′, which is related to ability to discriminate between target or non-target, exhibited significant change until 8 years of age. RT, which is related to processing time, exhibited significant change until 11 years of age. lnb exhibited no significant differences among age groups. Conclusions:These findings indicate that inhibition function, inattention to stimuli, and stability of processing time develop first. Discrimination ability subsequently increases based on these developments, and finally processing time is reduced.

Convergent validity of the measures of attention and impulsivity in the Trees: Simple Visual Discrimination Test (DiViSA-UAM). [Validez convergente de las medidas de atención e impulsividad del Test de Discriminación Visual Simple de Árboles (DiViSA-UAM)]

“…Again, no sex-related differences were observed. The results of both studies coincided with those obtained in prior research, according to which selective and sustained attention improves up to 10 years of age, when it stabilises, and then increases again between ages 12 and 15, whereas executive control and inhibition improve up to 6-7 years and then stabilises (Crespo-Eguílaz, Narbona, Peralta, & Repáraz, 2006;Jiménez et al, 2012;Kanaka et al, 2008;Klenberg, Korkman, & Lahti-Nuutila, 2001;Lehman et al, 2009;Lin, Hsiao, & Chen, 1999;Rueda et al, 2004). Said results, therefore, provide evidence about the capacity of the DiViSA-UAM to discriminate between different age groups.…”

“…Also in line with prior anales de psicología, 2015, vol. 31, nº 1 (enero) research (Crespo-Eguílaz et al, 2006;Jiménez et al, 2012;Kanaka et al, 2008;Klenberg et al, 2001;Lehman et al, 2009;Lin et al, 1999;Quiroga et al, 2011;Rueda et al, 2004;Santacreu et al, 2010), all three tests coincided in indicating significant differences in attention performance linked to age. More specifically, taking as a reference the measures of global attention from the three tests (DiV-OA, DPT-CR, and d2-CP), the DiViSA-UAM and the Faces-DPT registered a progressive and significant increase in attention performance during the different grades, whereas the d2 only registered said increase as significant up to the 5 th grade.…”

Evaluating nonlinear variability of mental fatigue behavioral indices during long‐term attentive task

“…Error indices are defined based on response types to stimulation; commission error indicates the incorrect responses to target stimulations, while the false alarm shows the incorrect responses to nontarget stimulations. Missed responses for both kinds of stimulations are also calculated [29][30][31][32].…”

“…In addition, based on signal detection theory, two criteria were used: sensitivity index for the subjects' detection ability to distinguish target stimulations from nontarget ones and response criterion index to evaluate responding strategies [30,31]. All extracted behavioral indices were transformed to a score that could be used to compare the behavior of subjects to that of a normal population.…”

Aprendizado motor em crianças de 5 e 6 anos: comparação entre prática física e prática mental

“…Considerando a imaturidade de habilidades cognitivas mais superiores, como atenção, memória de trabalho e gerenciamento de informações -inibição de informações irrelevantes e alternância entre informações (KAIL, 1991;LUCIANA e NELSON, 1998;TSUJIMOTO, 2008;KANAKA et al, 2008;KISELEV et al, 2009), assim como menor repertório sensório-motor relacionado à idade, encontrado em crianças de 5 e 6 anos, é possível supor que as mesmas apresentem dificuldades na formação de modelos internos por meio da prática mental, visto que sem a experiência concreta do movimento e da retroalimentação dos resultados, é necessário focar a atenção nos aspectos relevantes à tarefa e os armazenar na memória de trabalho, para planejar e executar mentalmente a tarefa motora corretamente.…”