Latent factors in attention emerge from 9 years of age among elementary school children

Abstract

We explored the development of attention among elementary school children. Three hundred and sixty-five primary school children aged 7-12 years completed seven attention tests (alertness, focused attention, divided attention, attentional switching, sustained attention, spatial attention, and supervisory attention). A factor analysis indicated that there was no stable construct of attention among 7- to 8-year-old children. However, from 9 years on, children's attention could be separated into perceptual and executive attention. Notably, however, the attention types included in these two factors differed from those among adults.