Introduction of Ruff 2 & 7 selective test

Introduction

Attention deficit is one of common cognitive impairments in patients with schizophrenia. (Bortolato, F Carvalho, & S McIntyre, 2014). Attention is a specific mental function including focused attention, sustain attention, selective attention, alertness, and divided attention (AOTA, 2014; Golisz & Toglia, 2003; Yu et al., 2015). Among them, selective attention is the ability to focus something particular while neglecting distractors in activity context (Ettinger et al., 2015); and sustain attention is refer to individuals to maintain concentration at cognitive activity with repeat stimuli (Sarter, Givens, & Bruno, 2001). All impaired selective attention or sustain attention will affect daily performance of schizophrenia (Shi K. Liu et al., 2002). Thus, attention measurements used in schizophrenia evaluation accurately is important in screening referral, planning intervention, monitoring progress, and so on.

The Ruff 2 & 7 Selective Attention Test (2 & 7 test) (Ronald M Ruff & Allen, 1996) was developed to assess selective attention and sustain attention in adolescents and adults (16-70yrs). The 2 & 7 test, a kind of paper-and-pencil cancellation test, consists a series of 20 sets: 10 Automatic Detection (AD) trials and 10 Controlled Search (CS) trials. Each trial take individual 15 seconds and the total administration time is 5 minutes per test. After finishing the 2 & 7 test, the administrator has to count the raw sore, including the hits and errors of 20 trials, and then tabulates these scores to speed and accuracy score. In clinical practice, some literature indicate that the 2 & 7 test is ideal tool to be used in quick bedside evaluation because of its convenience and low cost (R. Ruff, 2017).

The 2 & 7 test has good psychometric properties in normal population (Messinis et al., 2007; R. Ruff, 2017; Ronald M Ruff & Allen, 1996). In addition, there are also different clinical populations evaluated by the 2 & 7 test in some research literatures (Lan, Tsai, & Tan, 2011; R. Ruff, 2017; Ronald M. Ruff, 1994; Ronald M. Ruff, Niemann, Allen, Farrow, & Wylie, 1992). However, the test-retest reliability and practice effects of the 2 & 7 test are still unknown in patients with schizophrenia so that the assessment results will affect clinical intervention. Thus, we aim to assess the test-rest reliability and practice effect of the 2 & 7 test in schizophrenia.

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Yu, W. H., Chiu, E. C., Lin, G. H., Lin, H. Y., Hsueh, I. P., & Hsieh, C.-L. (2015). Test-retest Agreement, Random Measurement Error and Practice Effect of the Attention Scale for Elementary School Children. [Test-retest Agreement, Random Measurement Error and Practice Effect of the Attention Scale for Elementary School Children]. Journal of Occupational Therapy Association R.O.C., 33, 25-44. doi:10.6594/jtota.2015.33(1).02