title: Age-related decline in Digit-Symbol performance: eye-movement and video analysis.
abstract: Examines age-related decline in Digit-Symbol performance using variables obtained from a slow-motion analysis of a first person perspective video filmed during test completion, including superimposed cross-hairs indicating eye movements. Standard WAIS-3 DSCT scores and the video-derived variables were compared across two age groups (mean age 20 years vs. mean age 59 years). The older group performed more poorly overall, t(16)=-2.359, p=.031. The correlation between writing time per item and overall performance was (negatively) larger in the older group compared with the younger group, z=-2.180, p=.014. There was no difference between the groups' correlation coefficients with respect to key search latency and overall performance, z=-0.064, p=.525. Overall these results suggest that characterisation of the age-related slowing on Digit-Symbol tests as a psychomotor deficit is appropriate.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, Keele University, Staffordshire ST5 5BG, UK. r.stephens@psy.keele.ac.uk
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Stephens
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D005133:Eye Movements / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010153:Paired-Associate Learning / Q000502:physiology; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology*; D012016:Reference Values; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D014741:Video Recording; D014888:Wechsler Scales