Evidence of Reliability and Validity for a Children’s Auditory Continuous Performance Test

• Main Authors: Michael J. Lasee, Hee-sook Choi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: SAGE Publishing 2013-11-01
• Series: SAGE Open
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244013511828

Continuous Performance Tests (CPTs) are commonly utilized clinical measures of attention and response inhibition. While there have been many studies of CPTs that utilize a visual format, there is considerably less research employing auditory CPTs. The current study provides initial reliability and validity evidence for the Auditory Vigilance Screening Measure (AVSM), a newly developed CPT. Participants included 105 five- to nine-year-old children selected from two rural Midwestern school districts. Reliability data for the AVSM was collected through retesting of 42 participants. Validity was evaluated through correlation of AVSM scales with subscales from the ADHD Rating Scale–IV. Test–retest reliability coefficients ranged from .62 to .74 for AVSM subscales. A significant ( r = .31) correlation was obtained between the AVSM Impulsivity Scale and teacher ratings of inattention. Limitations and implications for future study are discussed.