Standardizing the use of the Continuous Performance Test in schizophrenia research: a validation study.

Background: The Continuous Performance Test (CPT) has emerged as the most commonly administered measure of sustained attention, but use of discrepant versions reduces the ability of researchers and clinicians to accurately draw cross-study conclusions. In an effort to standardize use of the CPT, this study compared four versions of the Identical Pairs CPT for their reliability and ability to discriminate between patients with schizophrenia and healthy volunteers. The relationship of performance on the different versions of the CPT with measures of psychopathology, functioning, and other aspects of cognition was also examined.