Convergent validity, academic correlates and age- and SES-based normative data for the d2 Test of attention in children

Abstract

The d2, test of attention is one of the most used neuropsychological tests to measure attention inclinical and research settings. To date, no studies have examined neither its convergent and divergent validity in children nor its relationship with academic skills at school age. The aims of thepresent study were: (1) to examine the convergent and divergent validity of the d2 Test in a nonclinical pediatric population, (2) to explore the relationship between d2 task performance and academic skills (i.e., math, reading and writing abilities) and (3) to develop normative data forSpanish-speaking children (n ¼ 360 8- to 12-year-old children) stratified by age and socioeconomicstatus (SES). Pearson?s correlation and Structural Equation Models (SEM) were used to analyze thed2 Test validity and its relationship with academic skills. A between-subjects factorial MANOVAwas used to examine differences among SES (Middle, Low), age (8?10, 11?12), and sex (male,female). Findings revealed a significant relationship between d2 task performance and all attentionand executive functions (EF) measures under analysis providing evidence of good convergent validity. Furthermore, SEM results showed that attention has direct effects on math and reading andwriting skills. Finally, our study confirms the influence of age and SES on d2 task performance andprovides normative data for middle- and low-SES children. These results have important implications for the assessment of attention functions in clinical and research settings in children withtypical and atypical development.