Subitizing Speed, Subitizing Range, Counting Speed, the Stroop Effect, and Aging: Capacity Differences and Speed Equivalence

Thirty younger and 29 older adults were tested on reaction times for set size of a display of 1 to 9 digits. On half of the trials, the nominal value of the digits was equal to the size of the set displayed; on the other half, the value differed by 1 from the set size (Stroop interference). We found...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Psychology and aging 2003-06, Vol.18 (2), p.240-249
Main Authors: Basak, Chandramallika, Verhaeghen, Paul
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Adult. Elderly
Age differences
Age Factors
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Ageing
Aging
Aging - physiology
Attention
Biological and medical sciences
Cognition
Cognition & reasoning
Cognitive Processes
Cognitive Processing Speed
Counting
Developmental psychology
Female
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Human
Human Channel Capacity
Humans
Individual differences
Male
Models, Psychological
Numerosity Perception
Psychology
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Reaction Time
Reaction times
Stroop Effect
Stroop Word-Colour task
Subitizing
Visual displays
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Summary:Thirty younger and 29 older adults were tested on reaction times for set size of a display of 1 to 9 digits. On half of the trials, the nominal value of the digits was equal to the size of the set displayed; on the other half, the value differed by 1 from the set size (Stroop interference). We found evidence for age differences in subitizing span (2.83 vs. 2.07). Once individual differences in subitizing range were taken into account, no age differences were found in the rate of either subitizing or counting, and no individual differences were apparent in subitizing speed. There was no age difference in the susceptibility to the Stroop effect. The results suggest that, with advancing age, the size of the focus of attention may shrink, but speed of access to elements in the focus of attention may remain constant.
ISSN:0882-7974
1939-1498
DOI:10.1037/0882-7974.18.2.240