Software implementation of the Test of Attention in Listening

Abstract

The Test of Attention in Listening (TAiL) provides a convenient instrument for measuring two aspects of auditory attention, i.e., involuntary orienting and conflict resolution. To capture these abilities, the listener is required to assess the relationship between two sequentially presented tones, with respect to either their location (same or different ear), or their frequency (same or different frequency). Performance is assessed in terms of reaction times and error rates.

This submission presents a standalone Windows implementation of the test which has the following main features: (a) Three subtests (tasks): Attend-Frequency: listener attends to tone frequency ignoring location, Attend-Location: listener attends to tone location ignoring frequency, Baseline processing efficiency: listener responds as quickly as possible after the second tone (ignoring sound characteristics); (b) Child-friendly presentation in the form of an engaging video game; (c) Fixed or variable inter-stimulus interval optionally providing an additional temporal cue; (d) Task configuration through GUI or by configuration file; (e) Task presentation in either demonstration or test mode; (f) Guided interactive calibration of the sound output level; (g) Automated post-processing and computation of key outcome measures; (h) Easy installation without need for additional third-party software (however, use of a high-quality sound card is recommended); (i) Additional version with subject instructions in French.