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Updated: May 27, 2026
10:13
Assessment of Age-related Changes in Cognitive Functions Using EmoCogMeter, a Novel Tablet-computer Based Approach
Published on: February 14, 2014
Age differences in the effort and costs associated with cognitive activity
1Department of Psychology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, 27695-7650, USA. thomas_hess@ncsu.edu
Summary
Cognitive effort increases with age, as shown by higher systolic blood pressure reactivity in older adults. Task difficulty exacerbates this effect, leading to greater fatigue and reduced performance in older individuals.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Cardiovascular Physiology
Background:
- Aging is often associated with changes in cognitive function and physiological responses.
- Understanding the effort and cost of cognitive activity across the lifespan is crucial for maintaining cognitive health.
- Systolic blood pressure (SBP) reactivity is explored as a physiological marker of cognitive effort.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test if aging increases the effort and physiological costs of cognitive activity.
- To investigate the relationship between cognitive task difficulty, age, and cardiovascular responses.
- To evaluate systolic blood pressure reactivity as a measure of cognitive effort in aging.
Main Methods:
- Participants: Younger and older adults.
- Procedure: Two phases of cognitive tasks (low/high demand Phase 1, multiplication Phase 2).
- Measures: Cardiovascular data (SBP reactivity) collected throughout, examining age, task difficulty, and phase effects.
Main Results:
- Older adults showed higher SBP reactivity than younger adults during cognitive tasks.
- Increased cognitive task difficulty led to higher SBP reactivity and greater fatigue/depletion.
- Fatigue effects were more pronounced in older adults, impacting subsequent task performance.
Conclusions:
- Findings support the hypothesis that aging is linked to increased cognitive effort.
- SBP reactivity is a viable measure for assessing cognitive effort in aging research.
- Cognitive demands can lead to fatigue, particularly in older adults.
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