RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN CONTINUOUS PERFORMANCE TASK SCORES AND OTHER COGNITIVE MEASURES - CAUSALITY OR COMMONALITY

Relationships among continuous performance test, IQ, achievement, and memory/ learning scores were explored in a clinical sample of 1,280 ch ildren (M age = 9.4 years, M grade = 3.9). Intercorrelations among CPT measures were significant, but modest. Correlations between CPT measu res and IQ, achievement, and memory/learning scores were also signific ant, but again generally weak. The CPT number correct scores were more strongly related to other cognitive measures than were commission (i. e., responding to incorrect stimuli) scores. The breadth and extent of associations among the CPT measures and the various cognitive/academi c tasks suggest that all, to some extent, require attention and inhibi tion. The importance of routinely assessing attention and disinhibitio n in psychological testing is discussed.