A comprehensive review of attention tests: can we assess what we exactly do not understand?

Abstract

Attention, as it is now defined as a process matching data from the environment to the needs of the organism, is one of the main aspects of human cognitive processes. There are several aspects to attention including tonic alertness (a process of intrinsic arousal that varies by minutes to hours), phasic alertness (a process that causes a quick change in attention as a result of a brief stimulus), selective attention (a process differentiating multiple stimuli), and sustained attention (a process maintaining persistence of response and continuous effort over an extended period). Attention dysfunction is associated with multiple disorders; therefore, there has been much effort in assessing attention and its domains, resulting in a battery of tests evaluating one or several attentional domains; instances of which are the Stroop color-word test, Test of Everyday Attention, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, and Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery. These tests vary in terms of utilities, range of age, and domains. The role of attention in human life and the importance of assessing it merits an inclusive review of the efforts made to assess attention and the resulting tests; Here we highlight all the necessary data regarding neurophysiological tests which assess human attentive function and investigates the evolution of attention tests over time. Also, the ways of assessing the attention in untestable patients who have difficulty in reading or using a computer, along with the lack of ability to comprehend verbal instructions and executive tasks, are discussed. This review can be of help as a platform for designing new studies to researchers who are interested in working on attention and conditions causing deficits in this aspect of body function, by collecting and organizing information on its assessment.