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Validation of the Attentional Control Scale in the Spanish-Speaking Population and Creation and Adaptation of Its State Version

This paper validates the trait version and adapts a state version of the Attentional Control Scale for Spanish-speaking populations, demonstrating through two studies that both instruments possess robust psychometric properties, including strong factor structures, internal consistency, and validity.

Original authors: Óliver Jiménez, Natalia Ramos, Jol Chirinos

Published 2026-09-23

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CC BY 4.0

Original authors: Óliver Jiménez, Natalia Ramos, Jol Chirinos

Original paper licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). ✨ This is an AI-generated explanation of the paper below. It is not written or endorsed by the authors. For technical accuracy, refer to the original paper. Read full disclaimer

The human mind is not a static machine; it is a dynamic system constantly adjusting to what is happening right now. A key part of this system is attentional control, the mental ability to focus on what matters and ignore what does not. Imagine trying to read a book in a noisy room; attentional control is the skill that lets you keep your eyes on the page while filtering out the chatter, or the ability to shift your focus quickly when the conversation becomes relevant. Psychologists have long studied this as a personality trait, a stable part of who a person is, much like their height or general temperament. However, recent thinking suggests that attention is also a fluid state, changing moment by moment depending on stress, fatigue, or the specific task at hand. While scientists have good tools to measure a person's general, long-term attentional habits, they have lacked a way to measure how attention works in the immediate present. This gap matters because a person might have strong attention skills in general but struggle to use them during a specific moment of high pressure, a nuance that standard tests often miss.

To address this, researchers in Peru and Spain conducted two separate studies to refine and expand the measurement of attentional control. The first study focused on validating an existing tool, the Attentional Control Scale, for use in Spanish-speaking populations. This tool asks people to reflect on their general habits, such as how often they can ignore distractions or switch their focus when needed. The researchers tested this "trait" version with a group of 306 university students, mostly young women, to see if the questions held up statistically. They found that the scale worked exactly as intended, splitting neatly into two main areas: the ability to block out distractions and the ability to shift focus flexibly. The results showed that the questions were consistent and reliable, confirming that this tool can accurately measure a person's general attentional style across Spanish-speaking cultures.

The second study was more ambitious, as it aimed to create a new version of the scale that captures attention as it happens, rather than as a general habit. The researchers took the original questions and rewrote them to ask about the present moment, turning the tool into a "state" measure. To test this, they gathered a larger group of 648 participants and asked them to complete a brief reading task first. Immediately after finishing the task, the participants filled out the new scale, describing how well they felt they were controlling their attention right then. The results were striking. The new state version proved to be even more reliable than the general version, with extremely high consistency among the answers. It also revealed a surprising structural difference: while the general version showed that blocking distractions and shifting focus were moderately related skills, the state version showed these two skills were practically independent of each other in the moment. In other words, when people are in the middle of a task, their ability to ignore noise and their ability to switch focus operate as separate, distinct processes rather than a single linked ability.

This finding challenges the common assumption that a person's general attentional strength guarantees they will perform well in every specific situation. The researchers suggest that the new state scale offers a vital new window into how the mind works under real-time pressure. By distinguishing between what a person generally is and what they are doing in the moment, clinicians and scientists can better understand why someone might struggle with a specific task despite having good overall skills. The study concludes that both the general and the new moment-to-moment versions are robust tools for Spanish-speaking populations. They provide a clearer picture of the human mind, showing that attention is not just a fixed trait we carry with us, but a dynamic process that shifts and changes with every new demand we face.

Technical Summary: Validation of the Attentional Control Scale in the Spanish-Speaking Population and Creation of Its State Version

Problem Statement
Attentional control is a fundamental executive function involving the voluntary regulation of focus amidst relevant and irrelevant stimuli, traditionally conceptualized through two dimensions: the inhibition of distractors and the flexibility to shift attention. While this construct is linked to emotion regulation and vulnerability to psychopathology (e.g., anxiety, depression, rumination), existing assessment tools in Spanish-speaking populations are limited. Most instruments measure attentional control as a stable trait, neglecting its dynamic, situational nature. Furthermore, many available scales were developed in Anglo-Saxon contexts, creating a need for validation in Spanish-speaking populations and the development of a "state" version to capture fluctuations in cognitive performance based on immediate contextual demands.

Methodology
The research comprises two independent studies utilizing convenience sampling within university settings in Peru.

Study 1 (Trait Validation):
- Sample: 306 Spanish-speaking participants (70.79% female; M age = 20.38 years).
- Instrument: The trait version of the Attentional Control Scale (ACS-Trait), adapted from Salguero et al. (2021). It consists of 12 items on a 4-point Likert scale measuring two dimensions: distractor control (7 items) and attentional flexibility (5 items).
- Analysis: Data were analyzed using Jamovi. Procedures included descriptive statistics, internal consistency estimation (Cronbach's $\alpha$ and McDonald's $\omega$ ), Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) with maximum likelihood and oblique (promax) rotation, and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). Model fit was assessed via $\chi^2/df$ , CFI, TLI, RMSEA, and SRMR. Convergent and discriminant validity were evaluated using Average Variance Extracted (AVE), Composite Reliability (CR), and the Fornell–Larcker criterion. Multigroup factorial invariance was tested against the original Spanish version.
Study 2 (State Version Development):
- Sample: 648 independent participants (62.3% female; M age = 24.80 years).
- Instrument: A state-adapted version of the ACS (ACS-State). Items were reworded to assess attentional control in the immediate moment.
- Procedure: Participants completed a 5–10 minute reading task involving random text to induce a specific cognitive state, followed immediately by the ACS-State.
- Analysis: Similar to Study 1, analyses included descriptive statistics, reliability coefficients, EFA, and CFA. The study also examined differences based on gender and age using Student's t-tests and Pearson correlations.

Key Results

Study 1 (ACS-Trait):
- Factor Structure: EFA and CFA confirmed a two-factor structure (distractor control and attentional flexibility). The model showed adequate fit (CFI = .93, RMSEA = .06).
- Reliability: The scale demonstrated excellent internal consistency ( $\alpha$ = .89, $\omega$ = .90). Item-total correlations were adequate (> .50).
- Validity: Convergent validity was supported (AVE $\ge$ .50; CR > .70). Discriminant validity was confirmed via the Fornell–Larcker criterion.
- Invariance: Multigroup analysis confirmed factorial invariance (configural, metric, and scalar) between the Peruvian sample and the original Spanish version, with changes in fit indices ( $\Delta$ CFI, $\Delta$ RMSEA) within recommended thresholds.
- Factor Correlation: The correlation between the two factors was moderate ( $r$ = .48).
Study 2 (ACS-State):
- Factor Structure: EFA extracted two factors explaining 77.2% of the total variance. CFA confirmed the bifactorial model with excellent fit indices (CFI = .96, RMSEA = .05).
- Reliability: The state version exhibited outstanding internal consistency ( $\alpha$ = .97, $\omega$ = .97).
- Validity: Strong convergent validity (AVE > .60) and discriminant validity were established.
- Factor Correlation: A notable finding was the near-zero correlation between the two factors ( $r$ = −.04), suggesting that in a situational context, distractor control and attentional flexibility operate as practically independent dimensions.
- Demographics: No significant differences were found based on gender or age within the studied range.

Key Contributions

Validation of ACS-Trait: The study provides robust psychometric evidence for the trait version of the ACS in a Peruvian Spanish-speaking sample, confirming its structural equivalence to the original Spanish version.
Creation of ACS-State: The paper introduces and validates the first state version of the Attentional Control Scale in Spanish. This instrument addresses the gap in measuring attentional control as a dynamic, situational phenomenon rather than solely as a stable trait.
Structural Divergence: The research highlights a significant structural difference between the trait and state versions. While the trait version shows a moderate correlation between its dimensions, the state version shows empirical independence between them. This suggests that the organization of attentional control differs when assessed as a disposition versus a momentary process.

Significance and Claims
The authors conclude that both the ACS-Trait and the newly developed ACS-State possess solid psychometric properties suitable for use in Spanish-speaking populations.

Clinical and Research Utility: The Trait ACS is validated for measuring dispositional attentional control in clinical and research settings. The State ACS is presented as a pioneering tool for capturing fluctuations in attentional functioning immediately following specific tasks or interventions.
Theoretical Implication: The findings challenge the assumption that high trait attentional control guarantees its manifestation in specific situational contexts. The State ACS allows clinicians and researchers to assess what a patient is "doing" with their cognitive resources in the moment, rather than just what they "have" as a trait.
Limitations: The authors modestly note that the samples were predominantly young and university-educated, limiting generalizability to older or clinical populations. They also acknowledge that the invariance analysis in Study 1 was limited to the Spanish version and did not include sex or age groups due to sample size constraints. Additionally, the inducing task in Study 2 (reading random text) may not have generated sufficient cognitive load to fully activate the state construct, suggesting a need for more demanding tasks in future research.

The paper asserts that these instruments fill a significant gap in the assessment of attentional control, offering tools to investigate the relationship between dispositional and situational control and their roles in emotional regulation and psychopathology.

Technical Summary: Validation of the Attentional Control Scale in the Spanish-Speaking Population and Creation of Its State Version

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