Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, Vol 54, Issue 3 P165-P172, Copyright © 1999 by The Gerontological Society of America

ARTICLES

Age differences in the strategic allocation of visual attention

LR Gottlob and DJ Madden
Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA. 1rg@geri.duke.edu

The allocation of visual spatial attention was investigated in two groups of adults, younger (n = 24; M = 19 yrs) and older (n = 24; M = 68 yrs). Two sequential target displays were presented on a computer screen. If a target letter appeared in Display 1, then observers were to identify a target letter in Display 2. Based on accuracy of Display 1 target detection, the older adults had a more restricted range of visual processing than the younger adults. Based on reaction times for Display 2 target identification, older adults appeared to use a spotlight (serial) scanning mechanism, whereas younger adults appeared to use an activity-distribution (parallel) mechanism. Results are consistent with age-related cognitive slowing, but also suggest a difference in strategy according to the availability of visual information.

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