Effects of Aging on Arithmetic Problem-Solving: An Event-related Brain Potential Study

2005 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Radouane El Yagoubi ◽  
Patrick Lemaire ◽  
Mireille Besson
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Problem Solving ◽  
Hemispheric Asymmetry ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Event Related Potential ◽  
Arithmetic Problem ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Split Effect ◽  
Effects Of Aging

Younger and older participants were asked to indicate if 240 complex two-digit addition problems were smaller than 100 or not. Half of the problems were small-split problems (i.e., the proposed sums were 2% or 5% away from 100; e.g., 53 + 49) and half were large-split problems (i.e., proposed sums were 10% or 15% away from 100; 46 + 39). Behavioral and event-related potential (ERP) data revealed that (a) both groups showed a split effect on both reaction times and percent errors, (b) split effects were smaller for older than for younger adults in ERPs, and (c) the hemispheric asymmetry (left hemisphere advantage) reported for younger adults was reduced in older adults (age-related hemispheric asymmetry reduction). These results suggest that older adults tend to use only one strategy to solve all problems, whereas younger adults flexibly and adaptively use different strategies for small- and large-split problems. Implications of these findings for our understanding of age-related similarities and differences in arithmetic problem-solving are discussed.

Aging, Attention, and Bimanual Coordination

2002 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 549-557 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy D. Lee ◽  
Laurie R. Wishart ◽  
Jason E. Murdoch
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Bimanual Coordination ◽  
Alternative Explanation ◽  
Digit Number ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Movement Frequency ◽  
Effects Of Aging ◽  
Coordination Patterns

ABSTRACTAlthough aging is normally associated with declines in motor performance, recent evidence suggests that older adults suffer no loss in some measures of bimanual coordination relative to younger adults. Two hypotheses for this finding were compared in the present research. One hypothesis was based on the assumption that these coordination patterns are automatic and relatively impervious to the effects of aging. An alternative explanation is that older adults maintain this level of bimanual coordination at a cost of increased attention demand. These hypotheses were tested in an experiment in which bimanual coordination patterns (in-phase and anti-phase) were paced at two metronome frequencies (1 and 2 Hz), either alone or together, with serial performance of an attention-demanding task (adding 3s to a two-digit number at a 1 Hz pace). The results of the study provided some support for both hypotheses. The automaticity view was supported only for the coordination patterns at the 1 Hz metronome frequency. Support for an attention allocation hypothesis was shown in the observed-movement frequency data, as older adults tended to sacrifice movement frequency at the 2 Hz metronome pace in order to maintain performance in the movement and counting tasks. These findings are discussed relative to recent accounts of the role of automaticity in the absence of age-related differences in the performance of cognitive tasks.

scholarly journals I know your face but can’t remember your name: Age-related differences in the FNAME-12NL

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
S Enriquez-Geppert ◽  
J F Flores-Vázquez ◽  
M Lietz ◽  
M Garcia-Pimenta ◽  
P Andrés
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Associative Memory ◽  
Recognition Performance ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Systematic Investigation ◽  
Age Effects ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Effects Of Aging

Abstract Objective The Face-Name Associative Memory test (FNAME) has recently received attention as a test for early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. So far, however, there has been no systematic investigation of the effects of aging. Here, we aimed to assess the extent to which the FNAME performance is modulated by normal ageing. Method In a first step, we adapted the FNAME material to the Dutch population. In a second step, younger (n = 29) and older adults (n = 29) were compared on recall and recognition performance. Results Significant age effects on name recall were observed after the first exposure of new face-name pairs: younger adults remembered eight, whereas older adults remembered a mean of four out of twelve names. Although both age groups increased the number of recalled names with repeated face-name exposure, older adults did not catch up with the performance of the younger adults, and the age-effects remained stable. Despite of that, both age groups maintained their performance after a 30-min delay. Considering recognition, no age differences were demonstrated, and both age groups succeeded in the recognition of previously shown faces and names when presented along with distractors. Conclusions This study presents for the first time the results of different age groups regarding cross-modal associative memory performance on the FNAME. The recall age effects support the hypothesis of age-related differences in associative memory. To use the FNAME as an early cognitive biomarker, further subscales are suggested to increase sensitivity and specificity in the clinical context.

scholarly journals Long-interval intracortical inhibition is asymmetric in young but not older adults

2017 ◽  
Vol 118 (3) ◽  
pp. 1581-1590 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.-M. Vallence ◽  
E. Smalley ◽  
P. D. Drummond ◽  
G. R. Hammond
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Hemispheric Asymmetry ◽  
Intracortical Inhibition ◽  
Manual Dexterity ◽  
Hand Movements ◽  
Dominant Hand ◽  
Dominant Hemisphere ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Inhibitory Circuits ◽  
Age Related

Aging is typically accompanied by a decline in manual dexterity and handedness; the dominant hand executes tasks of manual dexterity more quickly and accurately than the nondominant hand in younger adults, but this advantage typically declines with age. Age-related changes in intracortical inhibitory processes might play a role in the age-related decline in manual dexterity. Long-interval intracortical inhibition (LICI) is asymmetric in young adults, with more sensitive and more powerful LICI circuits in the dominant hemisphere than in the nondominant hemisphere. Here we investigated whether the hemispheric asymmetry in LICI in younger adults persists in healthy older adults. Paired-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation was used to measure LICI in the dominant and nondominant hemispheres of younger and older adults; LICI stimulus-response curves were obtained by varying conditioning stimulus intensity at two different interstimulus intervals [100 ms (LICI100) and 150 ms]. We have replicated the finding that LICI100 circuits are more sensitive and more powerful in the dominant than the nondominant hemisphere of young adults and extend this finding to show that the hemispheric asymmetry in LICI100 is lost with age. In the context of behavioral observations showing that dominant hand movements in younger adults are more fluent than nondominant hand movements in younger adults and dominant hand movements in older adults, we speculate a role of LICI100 in the age-related decline in manual dexterity. NEW & NOTEWORTHY In younger adults, more sensitive and more powerful long-interval intracortical inhibitory circuits are evident in the hemisphere controlling the more dexterous hand; this is not the case in older adults, for whom long-interval intracortical inhibitory circuits are symmetric and more variable than in younger adults. We speculate that the highly sensitive and powerful long-interval intracortical inhibition circuits in the dominant hemisphere play a role in manual dexterity.

scholarly journals AGE-RELATED DIFFERENCES IN INHIBITION INVESTIGATION OF SIMON AND FLANKER CONFLICTS IN ERPS

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S647-S647
Author(s):  
Rachel Scrivano ◽  
Paul Kieffaber
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Flanker Task ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Cognitive Conflict ◽  
Cognitive Change ◽  
Event Related Potential ◽  
Time Data ◽  
Common Procedure ◽  
Inhibitory Function ◽  
Age Related

Abstract It is unclear whether or not older adults experience more difficulty managing cognitive conflict by inhibiting distracting stimuli and/or ignoring irrelevant information than younger adults. A common procedure used to measure inhibitory function is through the use of congruent and incongruent stimuli. Specifically, past literature that used tasks like the Simon and flanker have found differing effects on reaction times and various event-related potential (ERP) amplitudes and latencies, suggesting that either inhibitory function is a unitary mechanism or multifaceted. Moreover, research exhibits uncertainty for whether or not age influences deficits to inhibitory function. Therefore, the present study sought to investigate these research questions by combining the Simon and flanker tasks into one unique task. The study’s behavioral results indicate that older adults have greater difficulty with cognitive conflict in both Simon and flanker tasks due to significantly prolonged reaction times during incongruent trials. Furthermore, reaction time data posits that there are no significant age-related differences between the Simon and flanker task. This finding indicates that through the use of these tasks, inhibitory function is a unitary mechanism. In addition, preliminary electroencephalogram data shows that younger and older adults process the task’s information similarly. These initial findings can further inhibition research through its use as benchmarks for the measurement of cognitive change and deficit identification in older adults.

scholarly journals The neural bases of multimodal sensory integration in older adults

2021 ◽  
pp. 016502542097936
Author(s):  
Michele T. Diaz ◽  
Ege Yalcinbas
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Superior Temporal Gyrus ◽  
Mcgurk Effect ◽  
Neural Basis ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Neural Bases ◽  
Multisensory Input

Although hearing often declines with age, prior research has shown that older adults may benefit from multisensory input to a greater extent when compared to younger adults, a concept known as inverse effectiveness. While there is behavioral evidence in support of this phenomenon, less is known about its neural basis. The present functional MRI (fMRI) study examined how older and younger adults processed multimodal auditory-visual (AV) phonemic stimuli which were either congruent or incongruent across modalities. Incongruent AV pairs were designed to elicit the McGurk effect. Behaviorally, reaction times were significantly faster during congruent trials compared to incongruent trials for both age-groups, and overall older adults responded more slowly. The interaction was not significant, suggesting that older adults processed the AV stimuli similarly to younger adults. Although there were minimal behavioral differences, age-related differences in functional activation were identified: Younger adults elicited greater activation than older adults in primary sensory regions including superior temporal gyrus, the calcarine fissure, and left postcentral gyrus. In contrast, older adults elicited greater activation than younger adults in dorsal frontal regions including middle and superior frontal gyri, as well as dorsal parietal regions. These data suggest that while there is age-related stability in behavioral sensitivity to multimodal stimuli, the neural bases for this effect differed between older and younger adults. Our results demonstrated that older adults underrecruited primary sensory cortices and had increased recruitment of regions involved in executive function, attention, and monitoring processes, which may reflect an attempt to compensate.

scholarly journals Load-dependent modulation of alpha oscillations during working memory encoding and retention in young and older adults

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabrina Sghirripa ◽  
Lynton Graetz ◽  
Ashley Merkin ◽  
Nigel C Rogasch ◽  
John G Semmler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Alpha Power ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Alpha Oscillations ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Frequency Changes

AbstractWorking memory (WM) is vulnerable to age-related decline, particularly under high loads. Visual alpha oscillations contribute to WM performance in younger adults, and although alpha decreases in power and frequency with age, it is unclear if alpha activity supports WM in older adults. We recorded electroencephalography (EEG) while 24 younger (aged 18-35 years) and 30 older (aged 50-86) adults performed a modified Sternberg task with varying load conditions. Older adults demonstrated slower reaction times at all loads, but there were no significant age differences in accuracy. Regardless of age, alpha power decreased, and alpha frequency increased with load during encoding, and the magnitude of alpha suppression during retention was larger at higher loads. While alpha power during retention was lower than fixation in older, but not younger adults, the relative change from fixation was not significantly different between age groups. Individual differences in alpha power did not predict performance for either age groups or at any WM loads. Future research should elaborate the functional significance of alpha power and frequency changes that accompany WM performance in cognitive ageing.

Age-Related Differences in Motivational Integration and Cognitive Control

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Debbie Marianne Yee ◽  
Sarah L Adams ◽  
Asad Beck ◽  
Todd Samuel Braver
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Task Performance ◽  
Cognitive Task ◽  
Monetary Reward ◽  
Potential Candidate ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Cognitive Task Performance

Motivational incentives play an influential role in value-based decision-making and cognitive control. A compelling hypothesis in the literature suggests that the brain integrates the motivational value of diverse incentives (e.g., motivational integration) into a common currency value signal that influences decision-making and behavior. To investigate whether motivational integration processes change during healthy aging, we tested older (N=44) and younger (N=54) adults in an innovative incentive integration task paradigm that establishes dissociable and additive effects of liquid (e.g., juice, neutral, saltwater) and monetary incentives on cognitive task performance. The results reveal that motivational incentives improve cognitive task performance in both older and younger adults, providing novel evidence demonstrating that age-related cognitive control deficits can be ameliorated with sufficient incentive motivation. Additional analyses revealed clear age-related differences in motivational integration. Younger adult task performance was modulated by both monetary and liquid incentives, whereas monetary reward effects were more gradual in older adults and more strongly impacted by trial-by-trial performance feedback. A surprising discovery was that older adults shifted attention from liquid valence toward monetary reward throughout task performance, but younger adults shifted attention from monetary reward toward integrating both monetary reward and liquid valence by the end of the task, suggesting differential strategic utilization of incentives. Together these data suggest that older adults may have impairments in incentive integration, and employ different motivational strategies to improve cognitive task performance. The findings suggest potential candidate neural mechanisms that may serve as the locus of age-related change, providing targets for future cognitive neuroscience investigations.

Internet Navigation Skills for Financial Management: Associations with Age, Neurocognitive Performance, and Functional Capacity

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samina Rahman ◽  
Victoria Kordovski ◽  
Savanna Tierney ◽  
Steven Paul Woods
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Functional Capacity ◽  
Financial Management ◽  
Internet Banking ◽  
Online Banking ◽  
Neurocognitive Performance ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Neurocognitive Functions ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Use Factors

Objective: Online banking is becoming increasingly common among older adults, whomay experience difficulties effectively navigating this instrumental technology. Thisstudy examined age effects on a performance-based Internet banking task and itsassociation with neurocognitive ability and functional capacity in older and youngeradults. Method: Thirty-five older adults and 50 younger adults completed anexperimenter-controlled online banking measure in which they independentlyperformed a series of naturalistic financial tasks (e.g., account transfers, bill paying).Participants also completed a standardized battery of neuropsychological tests andmeasures of functional capacity. Results: Older adults were markedly slower and lessaccurate in completing the Internet-based banking task, which was not confounded byother demographic, mood, or computer use factors. Higher scores on measures ofneurocognition and financial functional capacity were both strongly associated withhigher Internet-based banking task accuracy scores and quicker completion times inthe older, but not the younger adults. Conclusions: Findings suggest that older adultsexperience difficultly quickly and accurately navigating online banking platforms, whichmay be partly related to age-related declines in neurocognitive functions and basicfinancial capacity. Future studies might examine whether neurocognitive approaches toremediation and compensation can be used to improve online banking capacity inolder adults.

scholarly journals Effects of aging on emotion recognition from dynamic multimodal expressions and vocalizations

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Diana S. Cortes ◽  
Christina Tornberg ◽  
Tanja Bänziger ◽  
Hillary Anger Elfenbein ◽  
Håkan Fischer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Emotion Recognition ◽  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Negative Emotions ◽  
Group Differences ◽  
Significant Group ◽  
Positivity Effect ◽  
Video Recordings ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Effects Of Aging

AbstractAge-related differences in emotion recognition have predominantly been investigated using static pictures of facial expressions, and positive emotions beyond happiness have rarely been included. The current study instead used dynamic facial and vocal stimuli, and included a wider than usual range of positive emotions. In Task 1, younger and older adults were tested for their abilities to recognize 12 emotions from brief video recordings presented in visual, auditory, and multimodal blocks. Task 2 assessed recognition of 18 emotions conveyed by non-linguistic vocalizations (e.g., laughter, sobs, and sighs). Results from both tasks showed that younger adults had significantly higher overall recognition rates than older adults. In Task 1, significant group differences (younger > older) were only observed for the auditory block (across all emotions), and for expressions of anger, irritation, and relief (across all presentation blocks). In Task 2, significant group differences were observed for 6 out of 9 positive, and 8 out of 9 negative emotions. Overall, results indicate that recognition of both positive and negative emotions show age-related differences. This suggests that the age-related positivity effect in emotion recognition may become less evident when dynamic emotional stimuli are used and happiness is not the only positive emotion under study.

scholarly journals Positive Emodiversity Buffers the Association Between Stress and Depressive Symptoms

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 653-653
Author(s):  
Lizbeth Benson ◽  
Anthony Ong
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Life Span ◽  
Daily Diary ◽  
National Study ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Shannon's Entropy ◽  
Daily Experiences ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Optimal Functioning

Abstract Intensive measurements of individuals’ experiences allow for identifying patterns of functioning that may be markers of resilience, and whether such patterns differ across the life span. Using 8 daily diary reports collected in the second burst of the National Study of Daily Experiences (NSDE, n=848, age 34-84; 55%female), we examined whether positive emodiversity (Shannon’s entropy) attenuated the association between cumulative stressor exposure and depressive symptoms, and age-related differences therein. Results indicated age moderated the extent to which positive emodiversity attenuated the association between stress and depressive symptoms (b=0.11, p < .05). The attenuated association was strongest for younger adults with higher positive emodiversity, compared to those with lower positive emodiversity. For older adults, the association between stress and depressive symptoms was relatively similar regardless of their positive emodiversity. Implications pertain to for whom and in what contexts specific types of dynamic emotion experiences may promote optimal functioning and resilience.

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