The Effects of Age and Exogenous Support on Visual Search Performance

Abstract

The authors investigated whether precueing a location attenuated age-related declines in selective attention and intraindividual variability on a visual search task. The cue improved response time on the single-feature search condition for both young and older adults. On the conjoined-feature search condition, only the older adults used the cue to facilitate performance, particularly when it reduced the number of searched items. The cue also mitigated intraindividual variability observed on both conditions. Not only did the cue facilitate the scaling of attention and improve search strategy, but also it decreased the waxing and waning observed in the older group's performance.

This work was based on a Master of Arts thesis (McLaughlin) for the Department of Psychology at York University.

Funding for this study was supported by an internal grant from York University, Faculty of Arts (Murtha).

Notes

Note. MMSE = Mini-Mental State Examination; SS = scaled score.

*Between-group difference (p < .05).

¹The use of proportionally transformed data over median RT is found in aging research (Hartley, 1993; Spieler, Balota, & Faust, 1996), and assumes that the processes underlying performance are slowing at the same rate (i.e., general slowing effect). This assumption may be questioned; however, we believe that the alternative of using median RT is not appropriate. As age-related slowing was observed in the present study (overall RT), any aging effects reported on the nontransformed data may simply reflect (or be magnified by) this general reduction in speed, rather than a true difference in selective attention. Therefore, we proportionally transformed (logarithm) and analyzed our RT data with this assumption in mind.

Note. Standard deviations are presented in parentheses.