Assessment of Attentional Efficiency: Preliminary Normative Study Carried out with Students in Mendoza

ISON, MIRTA SUSANA; CARRADA, MARIANA

Buenos Aires - Argentina

Congreso; Internacional Neuropsychological Society and the VIII SONEPSA Meeting; 2008

Internacional Neuropsychological Society and Sociedad de Neuropsicología Argentina

It is the purpose of this work to present the norms of Magallanes Scale for Visual Attention (EMAV, García Pérez and Magaz Lago, 2000), sampled through 534 students in Mendoza (266 girls and 268 boys) aged between 6 and 13. These children attended urban elementary schools in Gran Mendoza, first through sixth grade in Basic General Learning (E.G.B). This instrument is of great interest for a neuropsychological assessment of attentional functions, by measuring capacity and attentional efficiency in children and adults searching for similar figures framed into a suggested model. Its advantage lies in the fact that it is a free version with a linguistic and cultural influence. Aimed at this work, this instrument was used to evaluate attentional efficiency. Direct marks were obtained [correct answers – (incorrect answers + omissions)] for each age and gender. Thus, accumulative frequencies were determined and later transformed into percentile ranges. The assessment of attentional skills in children - measured with valid, trustworthy instruments adapted to our school population – becomes relevant when giving and enriching the psychodiagnosis in school orientation tasks, as well as in the adaptation of psychoeducational intervention programs to increase the academic and social performance of the child.