Age-related differences in concurrent-task performance of normal adults: evidence for a decline in processing resources.
A concurrent-task paradigm was used to investigate age-related differences in the attentional capacity of 92 right-handed adults. Young, middle-aged, and elderly Ss were compared as they performed speeded, unimanual finger tapping with and without concurrent silent reading, speaking, and maze completion. There were 2 levels of difficulty for each cognitive task. The decrement in tapping rate from the single- to dual-task condition increased linearly with age. Concurrent-task tapping was slowed more by difficult than by easy tasks, and difficult tasks had a disproportionately disruptive effect on the concurrent performance of elderly Ss. The heightened vulnerability of the elderly to concurrent-task effects cannot be attributed parsimoniously to either general slowing or diminution of a specific resource. Instead the results suggest a reduction in a general-purpose processing resource with increasing age.
Crossley
M
M
University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada.
Hiscock
M
M
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over / Q000523:psychology; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D001288:Attention; D004193:Discrimination Learning; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009048:Motor Skills; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D009949:Orientation; D011340:Problem Solving; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D011930:Reaction Time; D011932:Reading; D014705:Verbal Behavior