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Age-Related Differences in Response Preparation: The Role of Time Uncertainty

¹ Research Centre, Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal.
² Department of Psychology, Université du Québec à Montréal.
³ Department of Psychology, Université de Montréal.

Address correspondence to Louis Bherer, Département de Psychologie, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQÀM), C.P. 8888 succursale Centre-ville, Montréal, Québec, Canada, H3C 3P8. E-mail: bherer.louis{at}uqam.ca

This study explored the ability of younger and older participants to use a variable preparatory interval (PI) to enhance reaction time (RT) performance. In Experiment 1, 30 seniors and 15 young adults completed simple and choice RT tasks with short and long variable PIs. RT decreased with increasing PI duration in both younger and older adults, but the PI effect was larger in elderly individuals. The results of Experiment 2 (20 seniors and 20 young adults) showed an equivalent preparatory effect in older and younger adults when the probability of the shortest PI was increased. These findings suggest that older adults do not prepare as well as younger adults for unlikely events and that time uncertainty affects age-related differences in response preparation.