Assessment of Sustained Attention and Distraction in Children Using a Classroom Analogue Task

Abstract

The diagnosis of childhood hyperactivity has changed from a focus on motor behavior to an emphasis on attentional deficits. As a consequence, the assessment of attentional problems has taken on greater importance. There is no standard method for assessing attentional deficit in an ecologically valid manner which has met with general acceptance. In this study, an attentional task (ANALOGUE) which simulates classroom stimuli was evaluated with regard to concurrent and discriminant validity. The target sample consisted of 29 boys, ages 7 to 9, who were diagnosed ADDH. ANALOGUE, which is a task similar to academic work, was administered while potentially distracting classroom stimuli were presented on a video monitor. Four variables were assessed during distraction and non‐distraction conditions: Number of problems completed correctly, time on task, time looking at video monitor, and number of head turns. Interobserver reliability coefficients for the latter three measures were .99, .99, and. 71, respectively. Measures for ANALOGUE were significantly correlated with two other attentional measures (Continous Performance Test and Span of Apprehension) and with teacher evaluations of classroom attentional problems. The ADDH group and comparison group of 13 nohclinic children matched on age, sex, and SES differed significantly on the basis of ANALOGUE scores under distraction and non‐distraction conditions. The findings for ANALOGUE were discussed in terms of implications for improved assessment and understanding of children's attentional problems.