title: Dual-task assessment of age differences in automatic process development.
abstract: The present experiment assessed dual-task performance in 20 young (mean age 21) and 20 old (mean age 72) adults. Ss first received extensive single-task practice on consistent and varied search tasks. Next, they received dual-task practice in 2 conditions: (a) varied visual search plus varied memory search and (b) consistent visual search plus varied memory search. In the varied-varied condition, young and old adults showed similar dual-task decrements. These results, along with the current data in the literature, suggest that practice may play an important role in determining age-related dual-task differences (or lack thereof). In the consistent-varied condition, young adults attained single-task performance levels, because they had automatized the consistent task. Old adults were unable to match their single-task performance levels, indicating that they were unable to automatize the consistent task.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Memphis.
authors.forename: W A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Rogers
authors.forename: E L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Bertus
authors.forename: D K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Gilbert
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D001288:Attention; D004193:Discrimination Learning; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011939:Mental Recall; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D011930:Reaction Time