Age-Related Differences in Cognition: The Role of Distraction Control

The ability to ignore or control the processing of distracting information may underlie many age-related and individual differences in cognitive abilities. Using a large sample of adults aged 18 to 87 years, this article presents data examining the mediating role of distraction control in the relati...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Neuropsychology 2008-09, Vol.22 (5), p.638-644
Main Authors: Darowski, Emily S, Helder, Elizabeth, Zacks, Rose T, Hasher, Lynn, Hambrick, David Z
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Adult. Elderly
Age Differences
Age Factors
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Aging
Aging - physiology
Aging - psychology
Attention - physiology
Biological and medical sciences
Cognition - physiology
Cognitive Ability
Cognitive Control
Developmental psychology
Distraction
Female
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Human
Humans
Inhibition (Psychology)
Male
Memory - physiology
Middle Aged
Neuropsychological Tests
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Psychomotor Performance - physiology
Reading
Reasoning
Short Term Memory
Task Performance and Analysis
Verbal Learning - physiology
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Summary:The ability to ignore or control the processing of distracting information may underlie many age-related and individual differences in cognitive abilities. Using a large sample of adults aged 18 to 87 years, this article presents data examining the mediating role of distraction control in the relationship between age and higher order cognition. The reading with distraction task ( Connelly, Hasher, & Zacks, 1991 ) has been used as a measure of the access function of distraction control. Results of this study suggest that distraction control, as measured by this paradigm, plays an important role in mediating age-related effects on measures of working memory and matrix reasoning.
ISSN:0894-4105
1931-1559
DOI:10.1037/0894-4105.22.5.638