Age differences in motivation drive performance during the sustained attention to response task

Young and older adults prioritise speed and accuracy differently during sustained attention tasks. While older adults generally show a preference of accuracy over speed, this is not always the case. The underlying factor behind this inconsistency may be motivational differences, with older participants compensating for a speed disadvantage with increased intrinsic motivation to perform well. We investigated this in a pre-registered study, using the Sustained Attention to Response Task (SART) in young (n = 25, mean age = 19) and older adults (n = 25, mean age = 69.5). We matched participant accuracy by titrating response window length. Both groups achieved similar performance and strategy during the titration, enabling a comparison without confounds resulting from differences in default age-specific strategies. All participants were then given monetary incentives to perform better in terms of accuracy. Both groups responded with enhanced accuracy, but the young participants improved much more, outperforming older adults, and reversing the speed-accuracy strategies that are typically observed. In addition, older participants reported higher baseline levels of motivation alongside a reduced motivation to alter performance for money. So, while the older participants could match young participant performance in titration due to their higher baseline motivational levels, the young participants improved much more than older adults in response to the monetary incentive. From these findings we argue that older adults are intrinsically motivated to do well on tasks whereas younger age groups perform optimally only after incentivisation.