The Test of Everyday Attention (TEA) is designed to measure
attention
Attention is the behavioral and cognitive process of selectively concentrating on a discrete aspect of information, whether considered subjective or objective, while ignoring other perceivable information. William James (1890) wrote that "Atte ...
in adults age 18 through 80 years. The test comprises 8 subsets that represent everyday tasks and has three parallel forms.
It assess three aspects of attentional functioning:
selective attention
Attentional control, colloquially referred to as concentration, refers to an individual's capacity to choose what they pay attention to and what they ignore. It is also known as endogenous attention or executive attention. In lay terms, attenti ...
,
sustained attention, and
mental shifting.
Test subsets
The subsets include the following:
* Map Search: looking at a large map of
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
, patients search for symbols (selective attention)
* Elevator Counting: subjects listen to a series of tones, and must indicate a floor number
* Visual Elevator: subjects must count up and down in response to a series of visually presented "floors"
* Telephone Search: subjects must identify symbols in a simulated
telephone directory
A telephone directory, commonly called a telephone book, telephone address book, phonebook, or the white and yellow pages, is a listing of telephone subscribers in a geographical area or subscribers to services provided by the organization tha ...
, in some versions counting audio tones at the same time
* Lottery: subjects are asked to listen for their 'winning number' presented on audio tape, then write down the two letters preceding a specified number
TEA-Ch
There is also a version available for children and adolescents aged 6 to 15 years and 11 months, called the Test of Everyday Attention for Children (TEA-Ch).
The TEA-Ch has 9 subsets and two parallel forms. Administration time is 55 to 60 minutes.
TEA-Ch subsets
Selective attention is measured by two tasks requiring the ability to detect targets from distractors:
* Sky Search
* Map Mission
Sustained attention is measured by four tasks:
*Score
*Score DT
*Code Transmission
*Walk/Don't Walk
References
Further reading
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{{Neuropsychology tests
Neuropsychological tests
Cognitive tests