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Adult age differences in visual search as a function of stimulus mapping and processing load
Journal of Gerontology
|September 1, 1981
Summary
Extensive practice in visual search tasks can eliminate age-related declines, especially when using consistent stimulus sets. This suggests automatic processing minimizes cognitive control needs in older adults.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Human Development
Background:
- Age-related declines are common in visual and memory search.
- Extensive practice may reduce task difficulty and information load.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if age-related differences in visual search performance can be eliminated through practice.
- To examine the role of automatic versus controlled processing in age differences.
Main Methods:
- Adults (mean age 23.55) and elderly (mean age 74.92) females performed visual search tasks over six sessions.
- Tasks involved searching for target letters with consistent or varied mapping memory sets.
- Stimulus displays varied in size (1, 4, or 9 letters) and target number (2 or 4).
Main Results:
- Age-associated decrements in search performance were observed under varied mapping conditions.
- Under consistent mapping, age differences in search performance were significantly attenuated.
- Performance became independent of information load after extensive practice in consistent mapping.
Conclusions:
- Age-related decrements in visual search can be minimized or eliminated with consistent mapping and extensive practice.
- Automatic information processing, facilitated by consistent mapping, can bypass control processes like selective attention, reducing age-related deficits.