Measures and References: References: Attention

Return to References: Attention factor page.

Measures

Numerous measures exist to gain a full picture of a student's learning strengths and challenges. Following are examples of measures used to assess this Learner Factor. These measures should be administered and interpreted by experienced professionals.

Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF): (Gioia et al, 2000): Parent and teacher questionnaire to assess executive function, including Attention, in students aged five to 18.

References

Adolphus, K., Lawton, C. L., & Dye, L. (2013). The effects of breakfast on behavior and academic performance in children and adolescents. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 7, 425.

Ahmed, M. A., Khaled, A., Mohammad, T. A., Mansour, D. F., & Ezz-Eldine, M. Y. (2014). Learning Disabilities in Different Types of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders and its Relation to Cortical and Brainstem Function. Journal of Neurology Research, 4(1), 22-30.

Astle, D. E., & Scerif, G. (2011). Interactions between attention and visual short-term memory (VSTM): What can be learnt from individual and developmental differences?. Neuropsychologia, 49(6), 1435-1445.

Awh, E., Vogel, E. K., & Oh, S. H. (2006). Interactions between attention and working memory. Neuroscience, 139(1), 201-208.

Barac, R., Bialystok, E., Castro, D. C., & Sanchez, M. (2014). The cognitive development of young dual language learners: A critical review. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 29(4), 699-714.

Barton, M. E., & Tomasello, M. (1991). Joint attention and conversation in mother‐infant‐sibling triads. Child Development, 62(3), 517-529.

Battaglia, A. A., Radley, K. C., & Ness, E. J. (2015). Evaluating the effects of on‐task in a box as a class‐wide intervention. Psychology in the Schools, 52(8), 743-755.

Bialystok, E., & Senman, L. (2004). Executive processes in appearance–reality tasks: The role of inhibition of attention and symbolic representation. Child Development, 75(2), 562-579.

Bialystok, E. (2001). Bilingualism in development: Language, literacy, and cognition. Cambridge University Press.

Bick, J., & Nelson, C. A. (2016). Early adverse experiences and the developing brain. Neuropsychopharmacology, 41(1), 177-196.

Bjorklund D. F. & Causey K. B. (2017). Children's thinking: cognitive development and individual differences (Sixth). SAGE Publications.

Brewer, S. L., Meckley-Brewer, H., & Stinson, P. M. (2017). Fearful and distracted in school: Predicting bullying among youths. Children & Schools, 39(4), 219-226.

Chang, F., & Burns, B. M. (2005). Attention in preschoolers: Associations with effortful control and motivation. Child Development, 76(1), 247-263.

Claussen, A. H., Holbrook, J. R., Hutchins, H. J., Robinson, L. R., Bloomfield, J., Meng, L., ... & Kaminski, J. W. (2022). All in the family? A systematic review and meta-analysis of parenting and family environment as risk factors for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children. Prevention Science, 1-23.

Cook, C., Goodman, N. D., & Schulz, L. E. (2011). Where science starts: Spontaneous experiments in preschoolers' exploratory play. Cognition, 120(3), 341-349.

De Greeff, J. W., Bosker, R. J., Oosterlaan, J., Visscher, C., & Hartman, E. (2018). Effects of physical activity on executive functions, attention and academic performance in preadolescent children: a meta-analysis. Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, 21(5), 501-507.

DeRonda, A., Zhao, Y., Seymour, K. E., Mostofsky, S. H., & Rosch, K. S. (2021). Distinct patterns of impaired cognitive control among boys and girls with ADHD across development. Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology, 49, 835-848.

DuPaul, G. J., McGoey, K. E., Eckert, T. L., & VanBrakle, J. (2001). Preschool children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: Impairments in behavioral, social, and school functioning. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 40(5), 508-515.

Facoetti, A., Paganoni, P., Turatto, M., Marzola, V., & Mascetti, G. G. (2000). Visual-spatial attention in developmental dyslexia. Cortex, 36(1), 109-123.

Fallone, G., Acebo, C., Arnedt, J. T., Seifer, R., & Carskadon, M. A. (2001). Effects of acute sleep restriction on behavior, sustained attention, and response inhibition in children. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 93(1), 213-229.

Fernandez-Duque, D., Baird, J. A., & Posner, M. I. (2000). Executive attention and metacognitive regulation. Consciousness and Cognition, 9(2), 288-307.

Fisher, A. V., Godwin, K. E., & Seltman, H. (2014). Visual environment, attention allocation, and learning in young children: When too much of a good thing may be bad. Psychological Science, 25(7), 1362-1370.

Fisher, R. (1998). Thinking about thinking: Developing metacognition in children. Early Child Development and Care, 141(1), 1-15.

Foy, J. G., & Mann, V. A. (2013). Bilingual children show advantages in nonverbal auditory executive function task. International Journal of Bilingualism, 18(6), 717-729.

Franceschini, S., Gori, S., Ruffino, M., Pedrolli, K., & Facoetti, A. (2012). A causal link between visual spatial attention and reading acquisition. Current Biology, 22(9), 814-819.

Franke, B., Michelini, G., Asherson, P., Banaschewski, T., Bilbow, A., Buitelaar, J. K., ... & Reif, A. (2018). Live fast, die young? A review on the developmental trajectories of ADHD across the lifespan. European Neuropsychopharmacology, 28(10), 1059-1088.

Gioia, G. A., Isquith, P. K., Guy, S. C., & Kenworthy, L. (2000). Behavior rating inventory of executive function: BRIEF. Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources.

Godwin, K., & Fisher, A. (2011). Allocation of attention in classroom environments: Consequences for learning. Proceedings of the annual meeting of the Cognitive Science Society, 33(33).

Gonzalez-Carpio, G., Serrano, J. P., & Nieto, M. (2017). Creativity in children with attention déficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Psychology, 8(03), 319.

Greco, V., Beresford, B., & Sutherland, H. (2009). Deaf children and young people's experiences of using specialist mental health services. Children & Society, 23(6), 455-469.

Hamre, B. K., & Pianta, R. C. (2005). Can instructional and emotional support in the first‐grade classroom make a difference for children at risk of school failure?. Child Development, 76(5), 949-967.

Harris, K. R., Danoff Friedlander, B., Saddler, B., Frizzelle, R., & Graham, S. (2005). Self-monitoring of attention versus self-monitoring of academic performance: Effects among students with ADHD in the general education classroom. The Journal of Special Education, 39(3), 145-157.

Howie, E. K., Beets, M. W., & Pate, R. R. (2014). Acute classroom exercise breaks improve on-task behavior in 4th and 5th grade students: a dose–response. Mental Health and Physical Activity, 7(2), 65-71.

Hoyniak, C. P., Petersen, I. T., McQuillan, M. E., Staples, A. D., & Bates, J. E. (2015). Less efficient neural processing related to irregular sleep and less sustained attention in toddlers. Developmental Neuropsychology, 40(3), 155-166.

Ingwersen, J., Defeyter, M. A., Kennedy, D. O., Wesnes, K. A., & Scholey, A. B. (2007). A low glycaemic index breakfast cereal preferentially prevents children's cognitive performance from declining throughout the morning. Appetite, 49(1), 240-244.

Janssen, M., Toussaint, H. M., van Mechelen, W., & Verhagen, E. A. (2014). Effects of acute bouts of physical activity on children's attention: a systematic review of the literature. Springerplus, 3(1), 1-10.

Jimenez, M. E., Wade, R., Lin, Y., Morrow, L. M., & Reichman, N. E. (2016). Adverse experiences in early childhood and kindergarten outcomes. Pediatrics, 137(2).

Kim, Y. S., Al Otaiba, S., Sidler, J. F., & Gruelich, L. (2013). Language, literacy, attentional behaviors, and instructional quality predictors of written composition for first graders. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 28(3), 461-469.

Kofler, M. J., Singh, L. J., Soto, E. F., Chan, E. S., Miller, C. E., Harmon, S. L., & Spiegel, J. A. (2020). Working memory and short-term memory deficits in ADHD: A bifactor modeling approach. Neuropsychology, 34(6), 686.

Kofler, M. J., Singh, L. J., Soto, E. F., Chan, E. S. M., Miller, C. E., Harmon, S. L., & Spiegel, J. A. (2020). Working memory and short-term memory deficits in ADHD: A bifactor modeling approach. Neuropsychology, 34(6), 686–698.

Li, J., Wang, W., Cheng, J., Li, H., Feng, L., Ren, Y., ... & Wang, Y. (2022). Relationships between sensory integration and the core symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: the mediating effect of executive function. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 1-12.

Morton, J. B., & Harper, S. N. (2007). What did Simon say? Revisiting the bilingual advantage. Developmental Science, 10(6), 719-726.

Mundy, P., & Sigman, M. (2015). Joint attention, social competence, and developmental psychopathology. Developmental Psychopathology: Volume One: Theory and Method, 293-332.

National Research Council. (2015). Transforming the workforce for children birth through age 8: A unifying foundation. The National Academies Press.

Oberauer, K. (2019). Working memory and attention–A conceptual analysis and review. Journal of cognition, 2(1).

Pagani, L. S., Fitzpatrick, C., & Parent, S. (2012). Relating kindergarten attention to subsequent developmental pathways of classroom engagement in elementary school. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 40(5), 715-725.

Phelps, J., Attaheri, A., & Bozic, M. (2022). How bilingualism modulates selective attention in children. Scientific Reports, 12(1), 6381.

Polderman, T. J., Boomsma, D. I., Bartels, M., Verhulst, F. C., & Huizink, A. C. (2010). A systematic review of prospective studies on attention problems and academic achievement. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 122(4), 271-284.

Quiñones-Camacho, L. E., Fishburn, F. A., Camacho, M. C., Wakschlag, L. S., & Perlman, S. B. (2019). Cognitive flexibility-related prefrontal activation in preschoolers: A biological approach to temperamental effortful control. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, 38, 100651.

Reck, S. G., & Hund, A. M. (2011). Sustained attention and age predict inhibitory control during early childhood. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 108(3), 504-512.

Rhoades, B. L., Warren, H. K., Domitrovich, C. E., & Greenberg, M. T. (2011). Examining the link between preschool social–emotional competence and first grade academic achievement: The role of attention skills. Early childhood research quarterly, 26(2), 182-191.

Romano, E., Babchishin, L., Pagani, L. S., & Kohen, D. (2010). School readiness and later achievement: replication and extension using a nationwide Canadian survey. Developmental Psychology, 46(5), 995.

Rueda, M. R., Posner, M. I., & Rothbart, M. K. (2016). The development of executive attention: Contributions to the emergence of self-regulation. In Measurement of Executive Function in Early Childhood (pp. 573-594). Psychology Press.

Sadeh, A., Dan, O., & Bar-Haim, Y. (2011). Online assessment of sustained attention following sleep restriction. Sleep Medicine, 12(3), 257-261.

Sadeh, A., Gruber, R., & Raviv, A. (2002). Sleep, neurobehavioral functioning, and behavior problems in school‐age children. Child Development, 73(2), 405-417.

Sadeh, A., Gruber, R., & Raviv, A. (2003). The effects of sleep restriction and extension on school‐age children: What a difference an hour makes. Child Development, 74(2), 444-455.

Scheffler, R. M., Brown, T. T., Fulton, B. D., Hinshaw, S. P., Levine, P., & Stone, S. (2009). Positive association between attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder medication use and academic achievement during elementary school. Pediatrics, 123(5), 1273-1279.

Schneider, W. (2008). The development of metacognitive knowledge in children and adolescents: Major trends and implications for education. Mind, Brain, and Education, 2(3), 114-121.

Schroder, H. S., Fisher, M. E., Lin, Y., Lo, S. L., Danovitch, J. H., & Moser, J. S. (2017). Neural evidence for enhanced attention to mistakes among school-aged children with a growth mindset. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, 24, 42-50.

Schulz, L. E., & Bonawitz, E. B. (2007). Serious fun: preschoolers engage in more exploratory play when evidence is confounded. Developmental Psychology, 43(4), 1045.

Sharkey, P. T., Tirado-Strayer, N., Papachristos, A. V., & Raver, C. C. (2012). The effect of local violence on children's attention and impulse control. American Journal of Public Health, 102(12), 2287-2293.

Shaw, P., Eckstrand, K., Sharp, W., Blumenthal, J., Lerch, J. P., Greenstein, D. E. E. A., ... & Rapoport, J. L. (2007). Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder is characterized by a delay in cortical maturation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 104(49), 19649-19654.

Sylva, K., Melhuish, E., Sammons, P., Siraj-Blatchford, I., & Taggart, B. (2008). Final report from the primary phase: Pre-school, school and family influences on children's development during Key Stage 2 (7-11).

Tomasello, M., & Farrar, M. J. (1986). Joint attention and early language. Child Development, 1454-1463.

Tomasello, M., & Hamann, K. (2012). The 37th sir frederick bartlett lecture: Collaboration in young children. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 65(1), 1-12.

Trentacosta, C. J., Izard, C. E., Mostow, A. J., & Fine, S. E. (2006). Children's emotional competence and attentional competence in early elementary school. School Psychology Quarterly, 21(2), 148.

Van den Driessche, C., Chevrier, F., Cleeremans, A., & Sackur, J. (2019). Lower attentional skills predict increased exploratory foraging patterns. Scientific Reports, 9(1), 10948.

Van der Niet, A. G., Hartman, E., Smith, J., & Visscher, C. (2014). Modeling relationships between physical fitness, executive functioning, and academic achievement in primary school children. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 15(4), 319-325.

van Dijk, M., Blom, E., Kroesbergen, E. H., & Leseman, P. P. (2020). The influence of situational cues on children's creativity in an alternative uses task and the moderating effect of selective attention. Journal of Intelligence, 8(4), 37.

Vaughan Van Hecke, A., Mundy, P. C., Acra, C. F., Block, J. J., Delgado, C. E., Parlade, M. V., ... & Pomares, Y. B. (2007). Infant joint attention, temperament, and social competence in preschool children. Child Development, 78(1), 53-69.

Verschelden, C., & Pasquerella, L. (2017). Bandwidth recovery: Helping students reclaim cognitive resources lost to poverty, racism, and social marginalization. Routledge.

Vitiello, V. E., Greenfield, D. B., & Munis, P. (2016). Cognitive flexibility, approaches to learning, and academic school readiness in Head Start preschool children. Self-Regulation and Early School Success, 34-56.

Vitiello, V. E., Greenfield, D. B., Munis, P., & George, J. (2011). Cognitive flexibility, approaches to learning, and academic school readiness in head start preschool children. Early Education and Development, 22(3), 338–410.

Wadlinger, H. A., & Isaacowitz, D. M. (2010). Fixing our focus: Training attention to regulate emotion. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 15(1), 75-102.

Williford, A. P., Vick Whittaker, J. E., Vitiello, V. E., & Downer, J. T. (2013). Children's engagement within the preschool classroom and their development of self-regulation. Early Education and Development, 24(2), 162-187.

Yuill, N., Hinske, S., Williams, S. E., & Leith, G. (2014). How getting noticed helps getting on: successful attention capture doubles children's cooperative play. Frontiers in Psychology, 5, 418.