Proactive control declines while reactive control is preserved across the adult lifespan

Area of Science:

• Cognitive psychology
• Neuroscience
• Developmental psychology

Background:

• The dual mechanisms of control (DMC) framework posits distinct proactive and reactive control strategies.
• Understanding how these control mechanisms change across the adult lifespan is crucial for cognitive aging research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate age-related differences in proactive and reactive control using the Stroop task.
• To test the predictions of the dual mechanisms of control framework across younger, middle-aged, and older adults.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a novel color-word vocal response paradigm with distinct proactive, baseline, and reactive conditions.
• Manipulated list-wide and item-specific proportion congruencies to isolate control processes.
• Analyzed behavioral markers of proactive and reactive control in a large sample (N=327).

Main Results:

• Younger adults showed robust proactive control, while older adults exhibited no proactive control effects.
• Middle-aged adults demonstrated diminished proactive control compared to younger adults.
• Reactive control indices showed no age-related changes, supporting the selectivity of proactive control decline.

Conclusions:

• Findings confirm a lifespan-related decline in proactive control capacity.
• Reactive control mechanisms appear preserved across the adult lifespan.
• Results strongly support the dual mechanisms of control framework and its link to neurocognitive changes in aging.