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Age differences in response selection for pure and mixed stimulus-response mappings and tasks
Kim-Phuong L Vu1, Robert W Proctor
1Department of Psychology, California State University, Long Beach, 1250 Bellflower Boulevard, Long Beach, CA 90840, USA. kvu8@csulb.edu
Acta Psychologica
|June 11, 2008
Summary
Older adults experience greater difficulty with mixed stimulus-response mappings and tasks compared to younger adults. This age-related deficit in cognitive flexibility stems from challenges in managing conflicting response information.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive psychology
- Neuroscience
- Human development
Background:
- Cognitive flexibility, the ability to switch between different mental sets, declines with age.
- Understanding age-related differences in cognitive flexibility is crucial for addressing challenges in daily life and specialized tasks.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate age-related differences in cognitive flexibility, specifically focusing on mixed stimulus-response mappings and tasks.
- To determine the impact of task complexity and stimulus-response compatibility on cognitive performance in older and younger adults.
Main Methods:
- Two experiments were conducted involving spatial reaction tasks with varying degrees of stimulus-response mapping compatibility and task mixing.
- Participants included both older and younger adults who performed blocks of pure and mixed compatible and incompatible mappings, as well as a Simon task variation.
Main Results:
- Older adults exhibited significantly larger mixing costs and compatibility effects than younger adults.
- These age differences were more pronounced when spatial location mappings were mixed, indicating greater difficulty in cognitive set shifting.
- Older adults showed a greater benefit from trial-to-trial repetition in mixed conditions when stimulus location was relevant.
Conclusions:
- The findings suggest that age-related deficits in cognitive flexibility are linked to difficulties in disengaging from previously relevant information and managing conflicting response codes.
- Older adults' challenges in separating task sets contribute to increased cognitive load and reduced performance in mixed-mapping and task-switching scenarios.
