Adult age differences in shifting focused attention

Psychol Aging. 1994 Dec;9(4):528-38. doi: 10.1037//0882-7974.9.4.528.

Abstract

Young and older adults performed a choice response task in which 1 of 2 target letters was presented visually at 1 of 4 display locations. In 2 experiments, the validity of a target location cue and the presence of nontarget characters (distractors) were varied. With target-only displays and 40% cue validity (Experiment 1), the estimated time to shift attention between display locations was essentially 0 ms for both age groups. With 70% cue validity, Experiment 2 demonstrated significant increases in the attention shift time as a function of both increased age and the presence of distractors (asterisks). The results suggest that age-related changes in the shifting of focused attention are minimal except when the processing of nontarget information is required.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aging / psychology*
  • Attention*
  • Choice Behavior
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Psychomotor Performance
  • Reaction Time