This study aimed to analyze the attentional performance at different periods of life. The participants consisted of 1.759 people, of both sexes, and ages ranging from 6 to 82 years old. The instrument used was the Psychological Battery for Attention Assessment (BPA), composed of the tests of Concentrated Attention, Divided Attention and Alternate Attention. The results are in agreement with that was indicated by the literature, relating attention to the different stages of development. In that sense, it was observed there was a performance increase up to early adulthood, a slight decrease from the 30s, which becomes more evident after 50s. Still, the ANOVA identified six age groups that clearly differed. Finally, we found that the performance in divided attention is lower than for other types of attention. We suggest further studies to identify and differentiate a large number of ages.
Attention; Development; Validity; Psychological tests
