Construct validity of the continuous attention test for children

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the construct validity of the Con tinuous Attention Test for Children (the CAT), a clinical measure of vigila nce. To examine convergent and discriminant validity, a multitrait-multimet hod matrix was used. It was predicted that the CAT would correlate with oth er neuropsychological measures involving vigilance, but not with measures i nvolving potential confounds (e.g., short-term memory). Participants were 4 7 children, aged 6 to 11, referred for neuropsychological assessment. Resul ts partially supported discriminant validity, but convergent validity was w eak. That is, findings suggest that the CAT measures an ability distinct fr om those assessed by some other popular tests involving vigilance. However, method-related confounds may remain. The CAT appears to add useful informa tion in the context of clinical evaluations.