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Updated: Jul 12, 2025
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Measurement of Neurophysiological Signals of Ignoring and Attending Processes in Attention Control
Published on: July 5, 2015
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Evidence for an age-related decline in feature-based attention.
Armien Lanssens1, Kobe Desender1, Celine R Gillebert1
1Department of Brain and Cognition, Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
Summary
Older adults show a greater decline in filtering visual distracters compared to younger adults. This age-related decline impacts information processing, especially with distracting numbers.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Human Development
Background:
- Feature-based attention is crucial for efficiently processing visual information.
- Limited empirical evidence exists regarding age-related effects on attentional filtering of distracters.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate age-related differences in the ability to filter distracters based on visual features.
- To compare behavioral interference from distracters in young and older adults.
Main Methods:
- Participants (young and older adults) performed a two-alternative forced choice task.
- Distracters (letters or numbers) were presented alongside a target number.
- Data were analyzed using a hierarchical drift-diffusion model to assess information collection rates.
Main Results:
- Decreases in information collection rates were more pronounced in older adults than young adults when distracters were present (compatible or incompatible).
- Behavioral interference from distracters was greater in the older age group.
Conclusions:
- Findings suggest an age-related decline in the ability to filter out feature-based distracters.
- This decline may impact attentional control and information processing in older adults.
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