Adult Language: Cognitive Communication Disorders - Attention

Flashcards for reviewing cognitive communication disorders, focusing on attention assessments and treatments.

Sustained Attention

Maintain attention for a continuous period of time and repetitive activities

Working Memory

Ability to hold and manipulate information in your mind; temporary holding of information while you do something

Selective Attention

Ability to selectively process target information while inhibiting responses to non-target information

Suppression

Ability to control impulsive responding; combines working memory and selective attention

Alternating Attention

Ability to shift focus between two activities that require different behavioral responses

Construct Validity

Measurement of the behavior targeted

Ecological Validity

Measurement of “real-world” behavior

Test of Everyday Attention (TEA)

Involves eight subtests assessing different types of visual and auditory attention; assesses selective, sustained, and alternating attention/switching.

Attention Process Training Test (APT)

Highly structured assessment of the types of attention identified in the original model (sustained, selective, alternating, divided).

Digit Span

Taps into immediate verbal memory and working memory; requires an individual to repeat strings of numbers in a given order.

Brief Test of Attention

Involves listening for and counting letters/numbers; primarily measures auditory divided attention.

Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT)

Involves matching symbols to digits; measures visual selective attention and divided attention.

Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT)

Involves holding digits in working memory and adding them together; also measures divided attention and processing speed

Conners’ Continuous Performance Test (CPT)

Involves responding to everything except a specified target; measures sustained attention, response inhibition.

Moss Attention Rating Scale (MARS)

Clinician-completed rating scales of attention. Designed to measure restlessness/distraction, initiation, and sustained attention.

Rating Scale of Attentional Behavior

Rated by clinicians; measures attentional behavior. Good interrater reliability between clinicians in the same discipline but weaker between disciplines.

PQRST

Preview – Question – Read – Summarize – Test

SQ3R

Survey – Question – Read – Recite - Review

Goal Management Training

Metacognitive approach; periodic pause during a task to monitor performance and consider the goal of the task.

Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE)

Quick to administer but lacks sensitivity for detecting mild cognitive impairments and has limited range of cognition measured

Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA)

Evaluates abstraction and has more items focused on attention, but requires training to administer

St Louis University Mental Status Exam (SLUMS)

Expands on items to detect mild cognitive impairment and considers education for cut-off scores.