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Multitasking across the lifespan in different task contexts.

Nathan Van Humbeeck1, Mira Van Wilderode2, Reinhold Kliegl3

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This study reveals how multitasking abilities change across the lifespan. While young adults excel at single tasks, multitasking costs vary by age and task combination, particularly impacting older adults' sensorimotor control.

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Neuroscience
  • Human Development

Background:

  • Multitasking performance declines with age, but the underlying mechanisms and age-specific costs remain debated.
  • Previous research often fails to account for age-related differences in single-task abilities when assessing multitasking costs.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate lifespan development of multitasking across a wide age range (8-82 years).
  • To examine age-differences in performance costs during dual-tasking, controlling for single-task ability.
  • To explore how concurrent cognitive demands affect sensorimotor control across the lifespan.

Main Methods:

  • A lifespan sample (N=187) performed a visuo-spatial working memory (VSWM) task concurrently with postural control or reaction time (RT) tasks.
  • Criterion-referenced testing individually adjusted VSWM task difficulty to equate single-task performance.
  • Stabilogram diffusion analysis quantified postural control, and RT measured processing speed.

Main Results:

  • Single-task performance showed U-shaped age trajectories, with young adults performing best.
  • Multitasking generally led to performance decrements across all tasks and age groups.
  • Age-differential multitasking costs were observed, particularly in reaction time tasks, suggesting age-related differences in cognitive control, and increased cognitive load on sensorimotor control in older adults.

Conclusions:

  • Age-related multitasking costs are not solely due to general cognitive decline but depend on specific task combinations and cognitive control demands.
  • Concurrent cognitive tasks significantly impact sensorimotor control, especially in older adults, potentially reflecting compensatory mechanisms.
  • A lifespan approach is crucial for understanding the complexities of human multitasking and its age-related variations.