Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
7276961 | Acta Psychologica | 2016 | 8 Pages |
Abstract
The present study focused on the role of task preparation in age-related task-switching deficits. In Experiment 1, we assessed the preparatory reduction of alternation costs (i.e., alternating-task conditions vs. single-task conditions) in twenty-two older adults (65-78Â years) and 22 young adults (20-28Â years) by varying the response-stimulus interval (RSI) in a task-switching paradigm with a predictable task sequence and univalent stimuli. In Experiment 2, in which new groups of 22 older adults (65-78Â years) and 22 young adults (18-24Â years) took part, we replicated Experiment 1 with bivalent stimuli, which were associated with both tasks and thus increased task-set competition. Whereas in Experiment 1, in which we used univalent stimuli, there were no age-related differences in the preparatory reduction of alternation costs, the data showed impaired task preparation in old age with bivalent stimuli in Experiment 2. These data support the notion that task-preparation deficits in old age occur particularly in situations of increased task-set competition.
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Authors
Patricia Hirsch, Tina Schwarzkopp, Mathieu Declerck, Stefanie Reese, Iring Koch,