Inhibition in attention and aging
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Updated: Oct 31, 2026

A Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate Interference in Working Memory by Distractions and Interruptions
Published on: July 16, 2015
1University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City 66160-7602, USA. jmcdowd@kumc.edu
Abstract:
The literature on inhibition and aging has grown steadily in the wake of Hasher & Zacks' (1988) inhibitory deficit theory of cognitive aging. Not all of the findings support the notion of an age-related inhibitory decline, and some refinement of the theory is now required. This article has three goals: (a) to evaluate the role of inhibitory mechanisms in selective attention and aging; (b) to provide an evaluation of inhibition as a theoretical concept in theories of cognitive aging, with a specific focus on attention and aging; and (c) to consider the more general problem of evaluating progress in theory development.
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