Attention: Concept, Tests and Teacher Ratings

The theoretical part of the present article discusses the nature of attention, its tests and meas ures, as well as the localisation of attentional deficit. Attention is selective, involves the in hibition of impulsive responses and resistance to distraction. In the second part, a review of three empirical studies, which explored the use of an attention rating scale for teachers to rate attentiveness of children in the classroom, are discussed. The teachers' ratings predicted performance of the same children on tests of attention outside the classroom situation. These predictions were significant, in that they established that teachers are responding to an import ant aspect of attention, resistance to distraction, as measured by the tests. In the concluding remarks, the dynamic testing of attention which may lead to improvements in attention deficit is discussed. The third part, the Appendices, contains examples of attention tests.