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Age-related decline in visual working memory: The effect of nontarget objects during a delayed estimation task
A Caglar Tas1, Matthew C Costello1, Aaron T Buss1
1Department of Psychology.
Psychology and Aging
|February 28, 2020
Summary
Older adults exhibit reduced precision in visual working memory (VWM). Presenting non-target items during recall improved VWM precision for older adults, but not younger adults.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Neuroscience
- Psychology
Background:
- Visual working memory (VWM) is crucial for cognition but declines with age.
- Older adults show deficits in VWM change detection compared to younger adults.
- Previous models suggested diffuse neural interactions in older adults' VWM.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the precision of VWM representations in older adults.
- To test model predictions regarding guessing rates and response variability in VWM.
- To examine the effect of non-target item presentation on VWM precision in different age groups.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a delayed-estimation task to assess VWM precision.
- Employed a dynamic neural field (DNF) model to simulate VWM processes.
- Conducted two experiments with younger and older adult participants.
Main Results:
- Older adults demonstrated increased guessing rates and decreased VWM precision.
- Model predictions were supported by experimental findings.
- Presenting non-target items enhanced VWM precision in older adults, unlike younger adults.
Conclusions:
- Older adults' VWM representations are less precise and more susceptible to contextual influences.
- Findings support a neurocognitive theory of VWM decline in aging.
- Contextual information during recall can modulate VWM performance in older adults.
