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Inhibition of return using location discrimination in two age groups
1Department of Psychology, Faculty of Letters, Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto, Japan. tutida@lt.ritsumei.ac.jp
Perceptual and Motor Skills
|June 25, 2005
Summary
Older adults exhibit a stronger inhibition of return effect, contrary to previous research. This finding suggests that inhibitory functions may strengthen with advanced age.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive psychology
- Neuroscience of aging
Background:
- Inhibition of return (IOR) is a phenomenon where response latency increases for targets appearing in previously attended locations.
- Previous research indicated IOR remains relatively stable across different age groups.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate age-related differences in inhibition of return using a target-target paradigm.
- To determine if the IOR effect differs between healthy older adults and younger adults.
Main Methods:
- Comparison of inhibition of return between 12 healthy older adults (mean age 73.0) and a group of younger adults.
- Utilized a target-target paradigm to measure response latencies in a location discrimination task.
Main Results:
- A strong and continuous inhibition of return effect was observed in older adults, exceeding that in younger adults.
- The findings contrast with prior research suggesting minimal age-related changes in IOR.
Conclusions:
- Inhibition of return may become more pronounced in older age.
- The inhibitory function related to spatial attention might strengthen, not diminish, with aging.