Selective versus sustained attention: A continuous performance test revisited

Abstract

The selective-set paradigm has dominated the measurement of visual selective attention in cognitive neuroscience. Previous auditory selective attention tests, the continuous performance tests (CPT), actually measure sustained attention, while auditory filtering paradigms require “bottom-up” perceptual processing. The development of the Auditory Selective Attention Test (ASAT) was based on selective-set theory. An age effect was found in subjects between 19–94 years of age who were over age 60. The probability foils were effective in discriminating impairment in four adult neurological groups (dementia, mild head injury, multiple sclerosis, learning disability). Impairment in discrimination (omission errors) but not response bias suggests that the ASAT requires cognitive search as defined by selective-set theory, which differentiates it from CPT and filtering paradigms. Associations with cognitive complexity and working memory are posited.