Integrated Visual and Auditory Continuous Performance Test (IVA-CPT)
FREE for use with an Inquisit Lab or Inquisit Web license.Background
The Integrated Visual and Auditory Continuous Performance Test (IVA-CPT) is a variation of the classic Continuous Performance Test (CPT) developed in 2004 by psychologist John Sandford and physician Anne Turner, founders of BrainTrain, Inc, a software company specializing in cognitive training and testing. The test was developed as a screener for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorders (ADHD) in individuals age 6 and older.
Task Procedure
A series of visual and auditory stimuli (the numbers "1" or "2") are presented one at a time at a rate of one per 1.5 seconds, with visual stimuli flashed for 167 ms and auditory stimuli presented for 500 ms. Participants are instructed to press a response key as quickly as possible if and only if the number "1" is presented.
A total of 500 test trials are run, alternating between blocks of 50 trials with a high (84%) or low (16%) percentage of targets, with equal numbers of visual and auditory trials in each block. Two 30-trial blocks with only auditory or visual stimuli are run at the beginning and end of the test blocks to calculate baseline performance for both modalities.
What it Measures
The IVA-CPT is a measure of sustained attention.
Psychological Domains
- Sustained Attention: Ability to maintain focus on a continuous repetitive task over a long time.
- Inhibitory Control: Ability to withold a response to non-target stimuli
- Processing Speed: How quickly visual and auditory stimuli are evaluated
Main Performance Metrics
- Full-Scale Attention Quotient (FSAQ): Ability to respond accurately and quickly while maintaining focus over time
- Full-Scale Response Control Quotient (FSRCQ): Ability to regulate responses (impulsivity)
- Sustained Auditory and Visual Attention Quotients (SAAQ and SVAQ): Attention performce within each sensory modality
- False Alarm Rate: Proportion of responses to non-targets (impulsivity, inhibitory control)
- Omission Error Rate: Proportion of targets missed (distractibility, attentional lapse)
- Reaction Time: Average response time (processing speed)
Psychiatric Conditions
Performance on the IVA-CPT tends to be impaired in patients with the following psychiatric conditions:
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
- Post-Concussion Syndrome
Available Test Variations
The Integrated Visual and Auditory Continuous Performance Test (IVA-CPT) by Sandford and Turner (2004).
References
Search Google Scholar for peer-reviewed, published research using the Inquisit Integrated Visual and Auditory Continuous Performance Test (IVA-CPT).
Sandford, J. A., & Turner, A. (2004). IVA + plus: Integrated visual and Auditory Continuous Performance Test administration manual. Richmond, VA: BrainTrain.