The ANT in a Russian Sample: Testing the Independence of Attention Networks

Abstract

The Attention Network Test (ANT) is a measure that allows the assessment of three different attention networks postulated by Posner – alerting, orienting, and executive control. The alerting network is responsible for the maintenance of a vigilant and alert state; the orienting network allows the shift of attention to sensory events appearing in the perceptual field and is responsible for the selection of information from sensory input; the executive control network allows for resolving conflicts among responses. The ANT became a popular tool for assessing attention networks functioning thanks to its simplicity, relative briefness, and accessibility for researchers. This paper reports data obtained with the ANT in a Russian sample. The analysis was focused on the problem of the independence of the attention networks. No significant correlations between the attention networks were found. A repeated-measures analysis of variance yielded a significant interaction between the cue types and the flanker types. The character of this interaction indicates that the orienting and executive control networks are not independent.