Abstract
The Attention Network Test (ANT) is a frequently used computer-based tool for measuring the three attention networks (alerting, orienting, and executive control). We examined the psychometric properties of performance on a variant of the ANT, the Attention Network Test-Interaction (ANT-I) in healthy older adults (N = 173; mean age = 65.4, SD = 6.5; obtained from the Brain in Motion Study, Tyndall et al. BMC Geriatr 13:21, 2013. doi: 10.1186/1471-2318-13-21) to evaluate its usefulness as a measurement tool in both aging and clinical research. In terms of test reliability, split-half correlation analyses showed that all network scores were significantly reliable, although the strength of the correlations varied across networks as seen before (r = 0.29, 0.70, and 0.68, for alerting, orienting, and executive networks, respectively, p’s < 0.05). In terms of construct validity, ANOVAs confirmed that each network score was significant (18.3, 59.4, and 109.2 ms for the alerting, orienting, and executive networks, respectively, p’s < 0.01) and that these scores were generally independent from each other. Importantly, for criterion validity, a series of hierarchical linear regressions showed that the executive network score, in addition to demographic information, was a significant predictor of performance on tests of conflict resolution as well as verbal memory and retrieval (β = −0.165 and −0.184, p’s < 0.05, respectively). These results provide new information regarding the reliability and validity of ANT-I test performance in a healthy older adult population. The results provide insights into the psychometrics of the ANT-I and its potential utility in clinical research settings.
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Notes
We used the ANT-I because reliability of the ANT-I is generally higher than that of the ANT (Ishigami and Klein, 2010, 2011), and the ANT-I, not the ANT, allows examining interactions among the three attention networks. See Ishigami and Klein (2009, 2010) for detailed methods and differences between the ANT and the ANT-I.
The neuropsychological tests were selected based on their variability among the tests in terms of constructs to be measured and their conventionality.
Eight participants were excluded from the original sample (N = 181) because English was their second language.
Scores were corrected for those who used Card Set 4 by adding a difference score between the mean for those who used Card Sets 1–3 and Card Set 4 because Card Set 4 was considered a difficult set (Delis et al. 2001).
Note that the number of trials available is smaller with auditory and visual alerting (1/3 and 1/2 of standard alerting, respectively) than with standard alerting, and interpretation of results needs caution.
Greater scores mean ‘better’ for all the process scores except verbal monitoring where greater scores mean ‘worse.’
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Acknowledgments
The present report is derived from an ongoing longitudinal study supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research operating grant (MOP—93717 to MJP, GAE, RSL), Alzheimer Society Research Program doctoral award (AVT), Alberta Innovates Health-Solutions Postdoctoral Fellowship (LLD), Alberta Innovates-Health Solutions (MJP (Senior Scholar), GAE (Visiting Scientist)), and Heart and Stroke Foundation Visiting Scientist (GAE), and the Brenda Strafford Foundation Chair in Alzheimer Research (MJP). We thank Brad Hansen (technical support), Kristin Sabourin (physiological and exercise testing), Jacqueline Harrison (physiological testing and data analysis), Melanie Denheyer (data collection), and Grazyna Burek (data collection) in Dr. Marc Poulin’s Laboratory of Human Cerebrovascular Physiology for their valuable assistance in conducting the study.
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Appendix
Appendix
Neuropsychological measures | Factor 1 | Factor 2 | Factor 3 | Factor 4 | Factor 5 | Factor 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Auditory Consonant Trigrams Perseverations | 0.978 | |||||
Auditory Consonant Trigrams Total Correct | 0.978 | |||||
Symbol Digit Modalities Oral Score | −0.517 | |||||
Symbol Digit Modalities Written Score | −0.525 | |||||
Card Sorting Number of Correct Free sorts | 0.909 | |||||
Card Sorting Number Free Sort Description Score | 0.939 | |||||
Card Sorting Number Free Sort Recognition Score | 0.795 | |||||
Color Word—Color Reading Time | 0.818 | |||||
Color Word—Word Reading Time | 0.833 | |||||
Color Word—Inhibition Time | 0.821 | |||||
Color Word—Switching Time | 0.679 | |||||
Category Fluency | 0.684 | |||||
Category Switching Fluency | 0.729 | |||||
Letter Fluency Perseverative Errors | 0.645 | |||||
Category Fluency Perseverative Errors | 0.735 | |||||
Category Switching Fluency Perseverative Errors | 0.699 | |||||
Medical College of Georgia Complex Figures Immediate Recall | 0.904 | |||||
Medical College of Georgia Complex Figures Delay Recall | 0.901 | |||||
Verbal Memory Immediate Recall | 0.696 | |||||
Verbal Memory Delayed Recall | 0.663 |
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Ishigami, Y., Eskes, G.A., Tyndall, A.V. et al. The Attention Network Test-Interaction (ANT-I): reliability and validity in healthy older adults. Exp Brain Res 234, 815–827 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-015-4493-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-015-4493-4