title: A computer-based selective visual attention test for first-grade school children: design, development and psychometric properties.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Visual attention is known as a critical base for learning. The purpose of the present study was to design, develop and evaluate the test-retest and internal consistency reliability as well as face, content and convergent validity of the computer- based selective visual attention test (SeVAT) for healthy first-grade school children.
  
  
  METHODS
  In the first phase of this study, the computer-based SeVAT was developed in two versions of original and parallel. Ten experts in occupational therapy helped to measure the content validity using the CVR and CVI methods. Face validity was measured through opinions collected from 10 first-grade children. The convergent validity of the test was examined using the Spearman correlation between the SeVAT and Stroop test. In addition, test-retest reliability was determined by measuring the intra-class correlation (ICC) between the original and parallel versions of the SeVAT in a single session. The internal consistency was calculated by Cronbach's alpha coefficients. Sixty first grade children (30 girls/30boys) participated in this study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The developed test was found to have good content and face validity. The SeVAT showed an excellent test-retest reliability (ICC= 0.778, p<0.001) and internal consistency (Cronbach's Alpha of original and parallel tests were 0.857 and 0.831, respectively). SeVAT and Stroop test demonstrated a positive correlation upon the convergent validity testing.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results suggested an acceptable reliability and validity for the computer-based SeVAT in the assessment of selective attention in children. Further research may warrant the differential validity of such a test in other age groups and neuro-cognitively disordered populations.
authors.affiliation: MSc of Occupational Therapy, Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Farzane.yazdani@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Farzaneh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Yazdani
authors.affiliation: Assistant Professor, Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Akbarfahimi.m@iums.ac.ir.
authors.forename: Malahat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Akbarfahimi
authors.affiliation: Associate Professor, Department of Occupational Therapy, Rehabilitation Research Center, School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. mehraban.a@iums.ac.ir.
authors.forename: Afsoon
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hassani Mehraban
authors.affiliation: Assistant Professor, Department of Physical Therapy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. jalaiesh@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Shohreh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jalaei
authors.affiliation: Assistant Professor, Department of Neuroscience, School of Advanced Medical Sciences and Technologies, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran. torabinami@sums.ac.ir.
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Torabi-Nami
keywords: Attention; Children; Computer-based; Reliability; Test; Validity