Measuring attention in very old adults using the Test of Everyday Attention
INTRODUCTION
The Test of Everyday Attention (TEA) has been developed to measure the performance of
attention in people with attention deficits. There are few measures to assess attention,
specifically multiple domains of attention, in very old adults, despite the essential role of
attention ability in the elderly.
Statement of the Problem
The Test of Everyday Attention was developed to measure the attention of the person that
is in aged 18 to 80 years old, however, it did not cover very old person older than 80 years old,
which is considered as the most vulnerable in declining of cognitive function. Since the Test of
Everyday Attention is restricted to people between the ages of 18 to 80 years old, there are no
studies that have been published regarding the applicability of TEA in very old adults. Their study
was conducted to assess the use of Test of Everyday Attention in a person aged 80 and older that
lives in a community.
METHODOLOGY
The study they conducted is a cross-sectional study and they used data from the MBS
baseline interview that includes socio-demographic characteristics. MBS means MOBOLIZE
Boston Study is a population-based study in the Boston area of older adults living in the city.
Socio-demographic that assessed in the MBS Baseline interview includes age, gender, race, and
educational level.
New assessment data from MBS II that includes health characteristics, TEA subscales, and
the neuropsychological battery was also used in their study. MBS II or MOBOLIZE Boston Study II
is an assessment that took place six years from the original MBS. The researchers used the
participants in MBS II for their research study. There are 249 participants age 80 and older in MBS
II and their health characteristics that are included are vision, hearing difficulties, and self-rated
health. The participants can complete the study in the clinic or through home visits. The
researchers also made the participants at the start of the assessment visit signed informed
consent.
The researchers of this study administered the test with a research assistant that is trained
in testing protocol and by a neuropsychologist with expertise in conducting the specific test in
TEA and neuropsychological batteries. Neuropsychological batteries are also used in their
research for them to correlate the result of it with TEA. The neuropsychological batteries used
are Trail Making Test (TMT) Part A for measuring the attention domain, for domain executive
, functioning it includes the TMT Part B, TMT Delta, Clock in the Box Test (CIB) and Letter Fluency
Test (F, A, S words) and to assess memory they used Hopkins Learning Verbal Test.
Test of Everyday Attention
The researchers in this study used the Test of Everyday Attention (TEA) in measuring the
attention of the participants. For this study they conducted, they only used four subscales of Test
of Everyday Attention: Visual Elevator for attention switching, Map Search for visual selective
attention, and Telephone Search for the selective attention and the Telephone Search while
counting for sustained and divided attention. The researchers of the study slightly changed the
instruction for some of the TEA subscales to make it as clear and easy as possible for participants.
The researchers also conducted practice sessions provided in the TEA testing guidelines. The
participants that have vision and hearing problems used a magnifying glass and audio amplifier
with headphones.
Attention Switching
The Visual Elevator test is a self-paced activity in which participants are asked to visualize
that they are in an elevator and according to a set of large bold arrows displayed on display cards,
they need to count up and down. The accuracy score was based on how many of the 10
hypothetical elevator rides shown were reached by the participant's accurate final floor numbers.
Selective Attention
Map Search is a timed visual search activity where participants are asked on a busy colored
map of the Philadelphia area to look for and circle gas pump symbols while other symbols are
also on the map. The cumulative score is determined by the number of symbols of the gas pump
circled within 2 minutes.
The Telephone Search Test has directed the participant to look for matching symbols next to
telephone numbers while looking for a list of plumbers in a virtual telephone directory. By
dividing the total time by the number of correctly identified symbols, the average time-per-target
score will be determined.
Sustained Attention
This Telephone Search While Counting Test is like the previous test, however, the participants
on this test have an additional task to do and it is to count a set of audio tones recorded in a tape
recorder.
INTRODUCTION
The Test of Everyday Attention (TEA) has been developed to measure the performance of
attention in people with attention deficits. There are few measures to assess attention,
specifically multiple domains of attention, in very old adults, despite the essential role of
attention ability in the elderly.
Statement of the Problem
The Test of Everyday Attention was developed to measure the attention of the person that
is in aged 18 to 80 years old, however, it did not cover very old person older than 80 years old,
which is considered as the most vulnerable in declining of cognitive function. Since the Test of
Everyday Attention is restricted to people between the ages of 18 to 80 years old, there are no
studies that have been published regarding the applicability of TEA in very old adults. Their study
was conducted to assess the use of Test of Everyday Attention in a person aged 80 and older that
lives in a community.
METHODOLOGY
The study they conducted is a cross-sectional study and they used data from the MBS
baseline interview that includes socio-demographic characteristics. MBS means MOBOLIZE
Boston Study is a population-based study in the Boston area of older adults living in the city.
Socio-demographic that assessed in the MBS Baseline interview includes age, gender, race, and
educational level.
New assessment data from MBS II that includes health characteristics, TEA subscales, and
the neuropsychological battery was also used in their study. MBS II or MOBOLIZE Boston Study II
is an assessment that took place six years from the original MBS. The researchers used the
participants in MBS II for their research study. There are 249 participants age 80 and older in MBS
II and their health characteristics that are included are vision, hearing difficulties, and self-rated
health. The participants can complete the study in the clinic or through home visits. The
researchers also made the participants at the start of the assessment visit signed informed
consent.
The researchers of this study administered the test with a research assistant that is trained
in testing protocol and by a neuropsychologist with expertise in conducting the specific test in
TEA and neuropsychological batteries. Neuropsychological batteries are also used in their
research for them to correlate the result of it with TEA. The neuropsychological batteries used
are Trail Making Test (TMT) Part A for measuring the attention domain, for domain executive
, functioning it includes the TMT Part B, TMT Delta, Clock in the Box Test (CIB) and Letter Fluency
Test (F, A, S words) and to assess memory they used Hopkins Learning Verbal Test.
Test of Everyday Attention
The researchers in this study used the Test of Everyday Attention (TEA) in measuring the
attention of the participants. For this study they conducted, they only used four subscales of Test
of Everyday Attention: Visual Elevator for attention switching, Map Search for visual selective
attention, and Telephone Search for the selective attention and the Telephone Search while
counting for sustained and divided attention. The researchers of the study slightly changed the
instruction for some of the TEA subscales to make it as clear and easy as possible for participants.
The researchers also conducted practice sessions provided in the TEA testing guidelines. The
participants that have vision and hearing problems used a magnifying glass and audio amplifier
with headphones.
Attention Switching
The Visual Elevator test is a self-paced activity in which participants are asked to visualize
that they are in an elevator and according to a set of large bold arrows displayed on display cards,
they need to count up and down. The accuracy score was based on how many of the 10
hypothetical elevator rides shown were reached by the participant's accurate final floor numbers.
Selective Attention
Map Search is a timed visual search activity where participants are asked on a busy colored
map of the Philadelphia area to look for and circle gas pump symbols while other symbols are
also on the map. The cumulative score is determined by the number of symbols of the gas pump
circled within 2 minutes.
The Telephone Search Test has directed the participant to look for matching symbols next to
telephone numbers while looking for a list of plumbers in a virtual telephone directory. By
dividing the total time by the number of correctly identified symbols, the average time-per-target
score will be determined.
Sustained Attention
This Telephone Search While Counting Test is like the previous test, however, the participants
on this test have an additional task to do and it is to count a set of audio tones recorded in a tape
recorder.
