Developmental changes in oculomotor control and working-memory efficiency.
In the present study, we examined the developmental changes in the efficiency of saccadic inhibitory control. More specifically, the contribution of age-related changes in working-memory engagement was investigated. We manipulated the efficiency of inhibitory oculomotor control in antisaccade tasks by using fixation-offset conditions, which are supposed to affect inhibitory demands, and by adding increasing working-memory loads to the antisaccade task. In general, in comparison to antisaccade performance of adults, the antisaccade performance of 8-year-old and 12-year-old children was characterized by an increase in direction errors, and/or longer saccadic onset latencies on correct antisaccades. However, this pattern was not altered by the fixation-offset manipulations. In contrast, increased working-memory demands deteriorated 8-year-olds' antisaccade performance unequally as compared to older children and young adults. These findings suggest that - at least in young children - the available functional working-memory capacity is engaged in oculomotor inhibition.
Eenshuistra
Rena M
RM
Cognitive Psychology Unit, University of Leiden, P.O. Box 9555, 2300 RB Leiden, The Netherlands. eenshuis@fsw.leidenuniv.nl
Ridderinkhof
K Richard
KR
Weidema
Maaike A
MA
van der Molen
Maurits W
MW
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005364:Field Dependence-Independence; D005403:Fixation, Ocular / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007266:Inhibition, Psychological; D033182:Intention; D008297:Male; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000502:physiology*; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D012016:Reference Values; D012438:Saccades / Q000502:physiology*; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis