Validation of the Russian version of the Continuous Performance Test—Identical Pairs tool Implemented on the Inquisit software platform

BACKGROUND: Impairments in selective attention are a major indicator of cognitive deficit in schizophrenia. However, there is a lack of psychodiagnostic tools adapted into Russian for the objective and accurate evaluation of such impairments.

AIM: To translate into Russian, adapt, and validate the Continuous Performance Test—Identical Pairs (CPT-IP) tool implemented on the Inquisit software platform.

METHODS: In total, 67 individuals were examined: 34 presumed mentally healthy individuals (15 men, 19 women, average age 22.5 [20.0; 43.3] years); 33 patients with schizophrenia (13 men, 20 women, average age 37.2 [25.2; 48.5] years). A translation of the original English-language CPT–IP script was performed and validated by the authors of the tool. The Russian version was made available in the Inquisit library. For each participant, a study was conducted using the Russian-language CPT–IP script, the cancellation test, the number search test and the ten-word recall test, as well as a retest using CPT–IP.

RESULTS: The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was 0.73 for both samples, reflecting a sufficient internal consistency of the method. A statistically significant negative correlation was found between the DPrime indicators in CPT–IP and the number of errors in the cancellation test, which confirms the convergent validity of CPT–IP for assessing selective attention. Discriminant validity was demonstrated by the absence of significant correlations between the CPT–IP indicators and the results of the ten-word recall test in both samples. The test-retest reliability reached a significantly high level according to the Chaddock scale.

CONCLUSION: The translated into Russian and adapted CPT–IP tool has a sufficient internal consistency, convergent and discriminant validity, as well as a sufficient test-retest reliability, which allows recommending it for use in research on cognitive impairments in patients with schizophrenia.