Convergent validity of measures of attention and impulsivity from the trees simple visual discrimination test (divisa-uam)

Abstract

The Trees Simple Visual Discrimination Test (DiViSA-UAM) is an objective test for assessing attention and impulsivity in children aged 6 to 12 years. This paper is intended to supplement validity data collected in previous studies by analyzing the convergent evidence of validity of the DiViSA-UAM measures in relation to other already well-established instruments for assessing attention and inhibitory control in children: the Differences Perception Test “Faces” and the d2 Test of Attention. To that end, the instruments were administered to a sample comprised of 111 primary school students (46 girls and 65 boys), aged between 8 and 12 years. The correlation analysis yielded values consistent with expectations between the indicators of the three tests. As observed in previous studies, the three tests agreed to identify a progressive increase in attentional performance from 8 to 12 years, as well as stability in impulsivity control, and lack of sex-related differences. We discuss the potential advantages of DiViSA-UAM derived from its application format and its greater ease of execution.