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Experimental Aging Research
An International Journal Devoted to the Scientific Study of the Aging Process
Volume 21, 1995 - Issue 1
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Original Articles

Aging and Cognitive Vigilance: Effects of Spatial Uncertainty and Event Rate

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Pages 17-32 | Received 12 Aug 1993, Accepted 15 Feb 1994, Published online: 27 Sep 2007
 

Abstract

Age-related differences in cognitive vigilance were examined in a task requiring identification of a target (a lowercase letter) presented at three levels of spatial uncertainty (low, moderate, and high) and in the context of a low or high event rate. Thirty-six young (18–24years) and 36 older (60–74years) adults participated in 30-min vigilance sessions. Increased spatial uncertainty decreased target detection rate and d' to a greater extent in older adults than in young adults. No age differences were obtained for the low-spatial-uncertainty condition. The vigilance decrement—the decline in detection rate over time—was magnified when event rate was high and when spatial uncertainty was high. The results suggest that cognitive vigilance is age sensitive when demands on visual attention capacity are increased by high event rate or spatial uncertainty.

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