Age-Related Performance on the Brixton Spatial Anticipation Test in Healthy Child and Adolescent Girls: A Preliminary Evaluation

Abstract

The Brixton Spatial Anticipation Test assesses individuals' cognitive flexibility in terms of rule detection and attainment. It has been used to assess executive functioning in both clinical and nonclinical adult samples. However, little is currently known about the suitability of this task for younger populations. The current study therefore aimed to provide an initial exploration of this task's suitability for young people. Brixton responses from a healthy sample of children and adolescents were presented to investigate performance in both rule detection and rule attainment, respectively. A convenience sample of 72 female participants (M_age = 14.95 years, SD = 1.53 years, range = 11–17 years; M_IQ = 103.76, SD = 10.81) was studied. The sample was divided according to age into four groups (11–12 years, 13–14 years, 15 years, and 16–17 years) to allow for developmental trajectory. No significant age performance differences were found. Small effect sizes between age groups lend support to the null findings. The current study suggests that the Brixton task norms are suitable for use with individuals aged 11 to 17 years old. However, normative work is still needed in this area, incorporating an adult sample for comparison, to comment upon the developmental trajectory specific to this task.

Key words:

• adolescent
• age-related performance
• Brixton
• child
• cognitive flexibility

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors would like to thank the staff and pupils at Sir John Lawes School, Harpenden, UK, and The Joan Roan School, London, UK, for participating in this study. Particularly thanks to Maria Santos-Richmond, Des Malone, Cordelia Gore, and Agnes Chevalier for all their help and organizational skills.