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Perceptions of task difficulty predict cognitive effort for older adults.

MacKenzie L Hughes1, Shevaun D Neupert2, Ann Pearman3

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Older adults reduce effort on difficult cognitive tasks, unlike younger adults. This disengagement suggests reduced motivation when faced with high perceived cognitive costs, supporting Selective Engagement Theory.

Keywords:
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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive psychology
  • Gerontology
  • Human development

Background:

  • Cognitive performance often declines with age.
  • Understanding age-related differences in effort allocation is crucial for explaining cognitive aging.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate age-related differences in effort allocation during cognitively demanding tasks.
  • To examine the relationship between perceived task difficulty and effort in younger and older adults.

Main Methods:

  • Fifty-two younger adults (18-30 years) and 57 older adults (61-93 years) completed memory tests.
  • Effort was measured using systolic blood pressure response (SBP-R).
  • Multilevel modeling analyzed the association between subjective task difficulty and SBP-R.

Main Results:

  • Older adults showed decreased SBP-R (effort) as task difficulty increased.
  • Younger adults did not show this decrease in effort with increasing difficulty.
  • This suggests older adults disengaged from highly difficult tasks.

Conclusions:

  • Findings support Selective Engagement Theory, indicating older adults may disengage from difficult tasks due to perceived costs.
  • Age differences in effort allocation are influenced by perceived task difficulty and motivation.