Information Foraging Across the Life Span: Search and Switch in Unknown Patches

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Decision Making
• Human Foraging Behavior

Background:

• Information foraging theory explains how organisms find resources.
• Age-related cognitive changes can impact decision-making strategies.
• Executive functions play a crucial role in adaptive behavior.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate age differences in information gain (RG) and patch-departure decisions.
• To examine how younger and older adults use local vs. long-term RG cues.
• To explore the role of executive control in these age-dependent strategies.

Main Methods:

• A word search puzzle paradigm simulated an information foraging task.
• Participants' patch-departure decisions were recorded based on changing RG.
• Executive control was assessed to correlate with decision-making patterns.

Main Results:

• Both age groups departed from patches as profitability decreased, but often past optimal points.
• Younger adults focused on long-term RG changes, while older adults prioritized local RG.
• Higher executive control in older adults correlated with a greater reliance on long-term RG.

Conclusions:

• Age influences the cues used for patch-departure decisions in information foraging.
• Executive control moderates the reliance on local versus long-term information gain.
• Cognitive limitations and individual differences in executive function shape foraging strategies.