The Applicability of Software in the Investigation of Sustained Auditory Attention

Background: Sustained attention is the ability to focus on a stimulus over an extended period of time. Deficits in this ability cause difficulty in concentration and impairment in development and learning.

Objectives: to examine the performance of children on a software designed to investigate the ability of sustained auditory attention and to compare the scores obtained in this format with those from the original test.

Methods: This prospective study included 52 children of both genders, aged 6 to 11 years with normal hearing and no complaint of inattention and/or hyperactivity. All children used the software. The total error score (inattention and impulsivity) and the vigilance decrement defined the performance in the software. The scores obtained in the two formats (software and original in Compact Disk) were compared. The t-test and correlation coefficient were used in the statistical analysis. The level of significance was p <0.05.

Results: Mean values in the total score ranged from 100.6(46.8) to 70.8(40.6) and from 125.5(50.9) to 58.0(49.1), respectively, gender and ages. The vigilance decrement ranged from 3.6(3.3) to 3.0(3.7) and from 3.6(3.5) to 1.9(3.7).

Conclusion: The performance of the male children using the software differed significantly from the female. Male children showed more inattention and impulsivity errors and in the total error score. The number of errors decreases as the age increases, however age did not correlate with vigilance decrement. Inattention errors were more frequent than impulsivity. Higher values were obtained using the software, when compared to the original version.