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Updated: Aug 14, 2026

Measuring Attention and Visual Processing Speed by Model-based Analysis of Temporal-order Judgments
Published on: January 23, 2017
Age differences in spatial contrast sensitivity are not the result of changes in subjects' criteria or psychophysical
Purpose:
To analyze separately the sensory and nonsensory aspects of reductions in contrast sensitivity with age.
Methods:
Two-alternative forced choice psychometric functions were fitted with a three-parameter Weibull function, which independently estimated threshold, slope, and upper asymptote of the functions.
Results:
There were no changes in slope or upper asymptote with age, but contrast sensitivity decreased with age.
Conclusions:
Most studies of decreased visual function in the elderly are difficult to interpret because possible nonsensory effects are ignored. This paper illustrates a method that can be used to demonstrate a true sensory decline with age.
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