The Behavioral Inattention Test (BIT) was developed in the United Kingdom in 1987 to assess hemi-inattention and has predominantly been used with stroke patients to assess unilateral spatial neglect (Wilson et al. 1987b; Halligan et al. 1991). Unilateral spatial neglect is commonly defined as an inability to respond to or notice stimuli that is present on the side opposite of the brain lesion location. This spatial neglect is not attributed to motor or sensory deficits (Heilman et al. 1993). In an attempt to improve ecological validity, the BIT incorporated nine behavioral subtests in addition to six conventional subtests. The behavioral subtests aim to assess unilateral spatial neglect as well as an individual’s functioning on activities of daily living.
The BIT takes approximately 40 min to complete and can be administered to individuals ages 19–83. The conventional subtests consist of line crossing, star cancellation, letter cancellation, line bisection, figure/ shape copying, and...
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Polejaeva, E., Woods, A.J. (2018). Behavioral Inattention Test (BIT). In: Kreutzer, J.S., DeLuca, J., Caplan, B. (eds) Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57111-9_9134
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