A dichotic listening study of attention control in older adults.
The influence of age on attentional control of bottom-up processing was investigated with a dichotic-listening paradigm. The typical right-ear-advantage (REA) without specific attentional instructions was used as a measure of bottom-up processing (non-forced condition). Top-down attentional control was evaluated by instructing subjects to report only the right or left ear stimulus of the dichotic pair (forced-right, forced-left conditions). Both young and old participants showed a REA in the non-forced condition and an increased REA in the forced-right condition. The old group failed, however, to use attention to modulate the REA to the same degree as the younger participants in the forced-left condition. Only the young group showed a significant left ear advantage (LEA). The results are discussed in relation to cognitive decline in normal aging and in early stages of dementia.
Andersson
Martin
M
Department of Biological and Medical Psychology, University of Bergen, Norway. Martin.Andersson@psybp.uib.no
Reinvang
Ivar
I
Wehling
Eike
E
Hugdahl
Kenneth
K
Lundervold
Astri J
AJ
D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D003071:Cognition; D004007:Dichotic Listening Tests; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008606:Mental Processes / Q000502:physiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D000091402:Prohibitins; D012737:Sex Factors; D013067:Speech Perception