Brief Test of Attention: Normative data for the Latin American Spanish speaking adult population

OBJECTIVE: To generate normative data on the Brief Test of Attention (BTA) across 11 countries in Latin America, with country-specific adjustments for gender, age, and education, where appropriate. METHOD: The sample consisted of 3,977 healthy adults who were recruited from Mexico, Argentina, Peru, Paraguay, Honduras, Chile, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Bolivia. Each subject was administered the BTA as part of a larger neuropsychological battery. A standardized five-step statistical procedure was used to generate the norms. RESULTS: The final multiple linear regression models explained between 11-41% of the variance in BTA scores. Although men had higher scores on the BTA in Honduras, there were no other significant gender differences, and this one effect size was small. As a result, gender-adjusted norms were not generated. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first normative multicenter study conducted in Latin America to create norms for the BTA; this study will have an impact on the future practice of neuropsychology throughout Latin America.