title: Effects of aging and distractors on detection of redundant visual targets and capacity: do older adults integrate visual targets differently than younger adults?
abstract: In the redundant target effect, participants respond faster with two (redundant) targets. We compared the magnitude of this effect in younger and older adults, with and without distractors, in a simple visual-detection task. We employed additional measures that allow non-parametric assessment of performance (Townsend's capacity coefficient) and parametric estimates (Linear Ballistic Accumulator model). Older participants' latencies were slower, especially in the presence of distractors, and their calculated capacity indicators increased with distractors. Parametric estimates indicated that these increases were generated by the older adults' increased difficulty in inhibiting the distractors, and not the results of either improved detection of redundant-targets, or of a generalized slowing of processing.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) Herzliya, Herzliya, Israel; Department of Speech-Language Pathology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Research, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada; Graduate Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Boaz M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Ben-David
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Ami
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Eidels
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Donkin
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging; D001288:Attention; D006801:Humans; D011930:Reaction Time; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult