[Modification of performance by activation in the elderly]

The effects of activation on performance are rarely investigated in older people. An experiment on the effects of psychic activation on free recall of word lists is reported. Participants were healthy women (N = 71) of two age groups (60-69 versus 70-79 years). Psychic activation was induced by intermittent white noise of three intensities (55, 80, 90 dBA). The effects were assessed by self-report inventories concerning mood and performance, by vegetative variables, and by memory tests. The memory tests consisted of free recall tasks under instructions of power and speed. Under the power condition memory performance decreased with activation in both age groups. Free recall performance under speed conditions resulted in inverted U-shaped relations between activation and performance only for the younger sample; the older group was not affected. To explain the results possible mediators are discussed.