Human cognition benchmark · Attention
Attention (Continuous Performance Test, ANT, Posner Cueing)
Short name: Attention · Introduced 1956 · Rosvold, Posner, Fan
Tasks dissociating alerting, orienting, and executive attention networks.
What it measures
Sustained vigilance, selective orienting in space, and conflict resolution between competing stimuli.
Format
CPT presents a long stream of stimuli with rare targets. ANT (Attention Network Test) combines cueing and flanker tasks to isolate three networks. Posner cueing varies validity of spatial cues.
Scoring
Hit rate, false alarms, reaction-time differences across cue/conflict conditions.
Notable results
- CPT is a standard ADHD diagnostic aid.
- ANT shows the three networks are functionally and anatomically dissociable.
- Attention measures correlate with default-mode network suppression.
Strengths
- Theoretically grounded in network neuroscience.
- Sensitive to subtle attentional dysfunction.
Limitations
- Reaction-time differences can be small and noisy.
- Susceptible to motivation and fatigue effects.
Related entities
Other human cognition benchmarks
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