Validation of Inhibition Tasks for a Comprehensive Assessment of Visual Attention Across Age Groups

The primary goal of this study was to assess the utility of adding the Conners’ Continuous Performance Task (CPT) to a comprehensive assessment of visual attention, in order to provide it with a better measure of response inhibition. Two Maximum Likelihood Factor Analyses (MLFA) were performed and compared (one containing the Conners’ CPT and one without), in order to assess any differences within the resulting factor solutions. The two factor solutions were almost identical, with the exception of an additional factor of response inhibition existing within the MLFA containing the Conners’ CPT. This revealed that the Conners’ CPT did add a meaningful factor of response inhibition to the existing attention battery. In addition, age group differences were assessed by one-way ANOVAs of the individual factor scores from the Conners MLFA.