Aging and Orienting of Visual Attention: Emergence of a Rightward Attentional Bias with Aging?

ABSTRACT

Although some studies described the apparition of a rightward bias of attention with aging, no study has examined if this bias could be explained by modifications based on age in the mechanisms of attention orienting and, specially, in the cueing effects. 48 participants of different ages were tested with a spatial cueing paradigm to assess mechanisms of attention orienting. Our results suggest the appearance of specific difficulties to orient and reorient attention towards the left side of space with aging. These results identified a right attentional anchoring with aging.