Assessment of attention: Further validation of the Star Counting Test

Two studies are presented in which the validity of the Star Counting Test (SCT), an attention test for children, was examined. In the first study the test was administered to a sample of 339 elementary school children of 9 years old. In addition, a commonly used achievement test for reading comprehension was administered and teacher-ratings of attention behavior and other classroom behaviors were gathered. Results showed that the SCT is related to teacher-ratings of attention and much weaker to other classroom behaviors. In addition, the relationship of the SCT with attention behavior could be separated From the relationship of reading comprehension with attention behavior. In the second study the SCT and a number of standard attention tests were administered to a group of children with attention problems and a group of normal controls. The performance of the latter group appeared to be better on the SCT and on standard attention tests reflecting working memory. No differences were found between the groups on attention tests that measure predominantly perceptual motor speed. In general, the results of the study tend to support the validity of the SCT.