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The functional relevance of visuospatial processing speed across the lifespan
Courtney Aul1,2, Julia M Brau1,3, Alexander Sugarman3
1Boston Attention and Learning Laboratory (BALLAB), VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA.
Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications
|August 4, 2023
Summary
Visuospatial processing speed, crucial for daily tasks, peaks in early adulthood and declines with age. A new web-based test reveals performance drops significantly by age 60, impacting mobility.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Human Lifespan Development
- Psychometrics
Background:
- Visuospatial processing speed is vital for everyday activities like driving and walking.
- Current understanding of visuospatial processing speed across the lifespan is incomplete.
- Existing assessment tools are not well-suited for unsupervised, web-based testing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate a novel, web-based visuospatial processing speed (VIPS) task.
- To characterize lifespan trajectories of visuospatial processing speed.
- To examine the relationship between VIPS performance and functional disability.
Main Methods:
- Developed a novel VIPS task combining central orientation discrimination and peripheral visual search.
- Validated the VIPS task against traditional neuropsychological measures in 86 young adults (18-30 years).
- Collected lifespan data from 4395 participants (12-62 years) via the web platform TestMyBrain.org.
Main Results:
- VIPS task performance correlated significantly with selective attention, executive functioning, visual speed, and working memory.
- Visuospatial processing speed peaked in the early 20s and performance thresholds doubled by age 60.
- VIPS performance correlated with self-reported cognitive deficits and was linked to mobility issues in middle age.
Conclusions:
- The novel VIPS task effectively measures visuospatial processing speed across the lifespan in a web-based environment.
- Visuospatial processing speed shows a clear decline from early adulthood into older age.
- Findings support the VIPS task's utility for early detection of cognitive decline and identifying intervention targets.
Keywords:
Functional disabilityLifespan trajectoriesVIPS taskVisual attentionVisual speed of processingMore Related Videos
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