title: The Attention Network Test-Interaction (ANT-I): reliability and validity in healthy older adults.
abstract: The Attention Network Test (ANT) is a frequently used computer-based tool for measuring the three attention networks (alerting, orienting, and executive control). We examined the psychometric properties of performance on a variant of the ANT, the Attention Network Test-Interaction (ANT-I) in healthy older adults (N = 173; mean age = 65.4, SD = 6.5; obtained from the Brain in Motion Study, Tyndall et al. BMC Geriatr 13:21, 2013. doi: 10.1186/1471-2318-13-21) to evaluate its usefulness as a measurement tool in both aging and clinical research. In terms of test reliability, split-half correlation analyses showed that all network scores were significantly reliable, although the strength of the correlations varied across networks as seen before (r = 0.29, 0.70, and 0.68, for alerting, orienting, and executive networks, respectively, p's < 0.05). In terms of construct validity, ANOVAs confirmed that each network score was significant (18.3, 59.4, and 109.2 ms for the alerting, orienting, and executive networks, respectively, p's < 0.01) and that these scores were generally independent from each other. Importantly, for criterion validity, a series of hierarchical linear regressions showed that the executive network score, in addition to demographic information, was a significant predictor of performance on tests of conflict resolution as well as verbal memory and retrieval (β = -0.165 and -0.184, p's < 0.05, respectively). These results provide new information regarding the reliability and validity of ANT-I test performance in a healthy older adult population. The results provide insights into the psychometrics of the ANT-I and its potential utility in clinical research settings.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada. ishigami@dal.ca.
authors.forename: Yoko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ishigami
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada. gail.eskes@dal.ca.|Department of Psychology, Faculty of Science, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada. gail.eskes@dal.ca.|Department of Medicine (Neurology), Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada. gail.eskes@dal.ca.|Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada. gail.eskes@dal.ca.
authors.forename: Gail A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Eskes
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada.|Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada.
authors.forename: Amanda V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Tyndall
authors.affiliation: Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada.|Psychology Service, Foothills Medical Centre, Calgary, Calgary, Canada.
authors.forename: R Stewart
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Longman
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada.|Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada.
authors.forename: Lauren L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Drogos
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada. poulin@ucalgary.ca.|Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada. poulin@ucalgary.ca.|Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada. poulin@ucalgary.ca.|Faculty of Kinesiology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada. poulin@ucalgary.ca.
authors.forename: Marc J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Poulin
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D056344:Executive Function / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009949:Orientation / Q000502:physiology*; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D015203:Reproducibility of Results
keywords: Attention Network Test; Brain in Motion study; Neuropsychological tests; Older adults; Psychometrics