Age-related changes in the allocation of spatially directed focal attention

ABSTRACT

Objectives

Leftward deviation on a horizontal line bisection test (pseudoneglect) might be induced by right hemispheric dominance for mediating spatial or global attention, or a hemispheric asymmetry in the ability to spatially disengage attention. With aging, this leftward bias is reduced, likely due to the aging-related deterioration of right hemisphere mediated functions (right hemi-aging) or hemispheric asymmetry reduction in old adults (HAROLD).

Methods

Forty-seven healthy adults divided into younger and older groups performed a modified Posner spatial-attentional task.

Results

Overall, younger individuals responded faster to left than right-sided imperative stimuli. In contrast, older participants did not reveal a right-left asymmetry to imperative stimuli. The younger group also revealed a strong inverse relationship between the reaction time to right valid cues and the leftward attentional bias while performing the line bisection task (pseudoneglect).

Conclusions

Our results provide support for both the right hemisphere spatial-attentional dominance hypothesis of pseudoneglect and the right hemi-aging hypotheses.

KEYWORDS:

• Spatial attention
• Posner task
• hemisphere asymmetry reduction (HAROLD)
• right hemisphere deterioration with aging (right hemi-aging)
• pseudoneglect

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by the National Science Centre, Poland (grant number 2015/17/B/HS6/03951), PI: Michał Harciarek. The funder had no role in study design, data collection, data analysis, interpretation, or the decision to submit the article for publication.