Age differences in inhibition of schema-activated distractors

In recent years a debate has ensued over the arguments that normal aging is associated with a reduction in the efficiency of inhibitory mechanisms underlying selective attention, leading to disruptions in the normal operation of working memory. The purpose of the study reported here was to investigate the relationship between age, inhibitory functioning, and working memory, adapting a procedure previously used by Gernsbacher and Faust (1991) to measure the suppression of activated, but no-longer-relevant information in working memory. Young and older adults viewed picture arrays of objects found in common settings, and then judged whether a target word named an item from the previously presented array. Older adults relative to young adults demonstrated less suppression of critical target items. The implications of these findings regarding inhibitory function in old age are discussed.