Visual search for change in older adults.
Lori L Veiel1, Martha Storandt, Richard A Abrams
1Department of Psychology, Washington University, St Louis, MO 63130, USA.
Psychology and Aging
|January 5, 2007
Summary
Older adults are slower than younger adults at detecting visual changes. Age-related changes in processing speed, useful field of view, and cautiousness explain this difference.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Human Aging Research
- Visual Perception
Background:
- Younger adults exhibit deficits in detecting substantial visual scene changes.
- Limited research exists on age-related differences in visual change detection.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate age differences in visual change detection.
- To identify factors contributing to age-related changes in visual change detection.
Main Methods:
- Two experiments compared change detection performance in older and younger adults.
- Eye movement behavior was analyzed during visual change detection tasks.
- Statistical models examined the roles of processing speed and eye movement behaviors.
Main Results:
- Older adults were significantly slower than younger adults in detecting visual changes.
- This age-related slowing exceeded that predicted by general processing speed declines.
- Useful field of view and cautiousness were identified as significant contributing factors.
Conclusions:
- Age-related changes in visual processing, specifically useful field of view and cautiousness, significantly impact change detection.
- Processing speed and specific age-related eye movement patterns fully account for age differences in change detection latency.
