Effects of increased response dominance and contextual disintegration on the Stroop interference effect in older adults.
In the study we considered the ability of the relative speed of processing-automaticity (RSOP-A) and contextual disintegration (CD) models of the Stroop interference effect to account for the age-related increase in Stroop interference typically observed in older adults. Findings from the first experiment were partially consistent with predictions of the RSOP-A model because response dominance was greater for older adults than for younger adults. However, the age-related increase in interference was independent of this increase in response dominance, suggesting that factors other than those postulated in the RSOP-A model contributed to the greater interference observed in older adults. Results of the second experiment were consistent with the CD model, which suggests that older adults had difficulty maintaining a color-naming strategy to guide task performance.
West
R
R
Rotman Research Institute of Baycrest Centre, North York, Ontario, Canada. robert@psych.utoronto.ca
Baylis
G C
GC
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D003118:Color Perception / Q000502:physiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006801:Humans; D007266:Inhibition, Psychological; D008960:Models, Psychological; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011930:Reaction Time; D011932:Reading; D012660:Semantics; D012718:Set, Psychology; D016008:Statistical Distributions; D014836:Volition / Q000502:physiology*