Based on a ‘Theory of Visual Attention’ (TVA), whole and
partial report of brief letter arrays is presented as a diagnostic tool to
estimate four clinically significant attentional components: perceptual
processing speed, visual working memory storage capacity, efficiency of
top-down control, and spatial distribution of attention. The procedure
used was short enough to be applicable within a standard clinical setting.
Two brain-damaged patients, selected based on lesion location and
neuropsychological test profile, were compared to a control group of 22
healthy subjects. One patient with a right inferior parietal lesion showed
a pattern of non-spatially and spatially lateralized attention deficits
that is typically found in neglect patients. Results from the second
patient supported the decisive role of superior frontal brain structures
for top-down control of visual attention. This double dissociation
supports the hypothesis that, even with a short version of whole and
partial report, valid and meaningful results can be obtained in the
neuropsychological assessment of attention deficits. The potential and
constraints of TVA-based parameter estimation for the clinical application
are discussed. (JINS, 2005, 11, 843–854.)
