scholarly journals Age-related effects on a novel dual-task Stroop paradigm

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. e0247923
Author(s):  
Nathan Ward ◽  
Erika Hussey ◽  
Reem Alzahabi ◽  
John G. Gaspar ◽  
Arthur F. Kramer
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Trial Type ◽  
Dual Task ◽  
Secondary Task ◽  
Task Type ◽  
Task Demands ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Type Interaction ◽  
Font Color

The Stroop task is a traditional measure of cognitive control processes, yet results remain mixed when it comes to assessing age-related differences perhaps in part due to strategies participants use to reduce inhibitory control demands required for success on the task. Thirty-three older adults and 34 younger adults completed a Baseline (traditional, single-task) version of Stroop, followed by two, novel dual-task Stroop variants: Color-Dual (maintain secondary count of prespecified font color regardless the lexical content) and Lexical-Dual (maintain secondary count of prespecified word regardless the font color). With regard to Baseline performance, we predicted an Age x Trial Type interaction in which older adults would be selectively impaired on Incongruent trials compared to younger adults, and this prediction was supported. When we added secondary task demands, we predicted a Trial Type x Dual-Task Type interaction in which performance in the Lexical-Dual condition would be worse than performance in the Color-Dual condition. This prediction was also supported, suggesting that having a secondary task that activated the irrelevant stream of information required more inhibitory control. Finally, we also predicted that Age would interact with Trial Type and Dual-Task Type, which was partially supported in response latencies and more definitively supported in error rates. Overall, our results indicate that Stroop performance is differentially influenced by additional dual-task demands that potentially minimize strategy usage, which has implications for both young and older adult Stroop performance.

scholarly journals Age Affects the Attentional Demands of Stair Ambulation: Evidence From a Dual-Task Approach

2009 ◽  
Vol 89 (10) ◽  
pp. 1080-1088 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heidi A. Ojha ◽  
Rebecca W. Kern ◽  
Chien-Ho Janice Lin ◽  
Carolee J. Winstein
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Dual Task ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Small Sample Size ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Task Demands ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Attentional Demands ◽  
Probe Task ◽  
Stair Ambulation

Background: Approximately 75% of all injury-producing falls on steps for people of all ages occur in people 65 years of age and older. Diminished attentional capacity contributes to fall risk in older adults, particularly when task demands are high. Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare the attentional demands of ascending and descending a set of stairs (stair ambulation) in older adults and younger adults. Design: This was a nonblinded, prospective, single-site, observational cohort study. Methods: Ten older (>65 years of age) and 10 younger (21–33 years of age) adults without disabilities were recruited. A dual-task approach was used for 2 task conditions: the first task was standing and responding verbally to an unanticipated auditory tone as quickly as possible (probe task), and the second task was ascending or descending a set of stairs with the same probe task. A 2-factor (group × task) analysis of variance with repeated measures on task (standing and stair ambulation) was performed for voice response time (VRT). Significance for the analysis was set at P<.05. Results: The group × task interaction was significant for VRT. Post hoc analyses indicated that during stair ambulation, the VRT for older adults was significantly longer than that for younger adults. For the standing task, the VRTs (X̅±SD) were similar for younger (322±65 milliseconds) and older (306±22 milliseconds) participants. For stair ascent and descent, the average VRTs were more than 100 milliseconds longer for older participants (493±113 and 470±127 milliseconds, respectively) than for younger participants (365±56 and 356±67 milliseconds, respectively). Limitations: Because of the small sample size and generally fit older group, generalization of findings to older people at risk for falls is not recommended until further research is done. Conclusions: The results demonstrated that although both older and younger adults required similar attentional resources for the standing task, older adults required significantly more resources during stair ambulation. The findings suggested that the dual-task method used here provided a clinically useful measure for detecting important changes in attentional demands in older adults who are healthy.

scholarly journals What affects the magnitude of age-related dual-task costs in working memory? The role of stimulus domain and access to semantic representations

2020 ◽  
pp. 174702182097074
Author(s):  
Agnieszka J Jaroslawska ◽  
Stephen Rhodes ◽  
Clément Belletier ◽  
Jason M Doherty ◽  
Nelson Cowan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
Dual Task ◽  
Memory Task ◽  
Semantic Representations ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Task Effects ◽  
Concurrent Processing ◽  
Age Related

Although there is evidence that the effect of including a concurrent processing demand on the storage of information in working memory is disproportionately larger for older than younger adults, not all studies show this age-related impairment, and the critical factors responsible for any such impairment remain elusive. Here we assess whether domain overlap between storage and processing activities, and access to semantic representations, are important determinants of performance in a sample of younger and older adults ( N = 119). We developed four versions of a processing task by manipulating the type of stimuli involved (either verbal or non-verbal) and the decision that participants had to make about the stimuli presented on the screen. Participants either had to perform a spatial judgement, in deciding whether the verbal or non-verbal item was presented above or below the centre of the screen, or a semantic judgement, in deciding whether the stimulus refers to something living or not living. The memory task was serial-ordered recall of visually presented letters. The study revealed a large increase in age-related memory differences when concurrent processing was required. These differences were smaller when storage and processing activities both used verbal materials. Dual-task effects on processing were also disproportionate for older adults. Age differences in processing performance appeared larger for tasks requiring spatial decisions rather than semantic decisions. We discuss these findings in relation to three competing frameworks of working memory and the extant literature on cognitive ageing.

scholarly journals Older adults benefit from more widespread brain network integration during working memory

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
C.A. Crowell ◽  
S.W. Davis ◽  
L. Beynel ◽  
L. Deng ◽  
D. Lakhlani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
Network Connectivity ◽  
Task Demands ◽  
Global Network ◽  
Aging Brain ◽  
Network Integration ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Cortical Regions

AbstractNeuroimaging evidence suggests that the aging brain relies on a more distributed set of cortical regions than younger adults in order to maintain successful levels of performance during demanding cognitive tasks. However, it remains unclear how task demands give rise to this age-related expansion in cortical networks. To investigate this issue, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging to measure univariate activity, network connectivity, and cognitive performance in younger and older adults during a working memory (WM) task. In the WM task investigated, participants hold letters online (maintenance) while reordering them alphabetically (manipulation). WM load was titrated to obtain four individualized difficulty levels. Network integration—defined as the ratio of within-versus between-network connectivity—was linked to individual differences in WM capacity. The study yielded three main findings. First, as task difficulty increased, network integration decreased in younger adults, whereas it increased in older adults. Second, age-related increases in network integration were driven by increases in right hemispheric connectivity to both left and right cortical regions, a finding that helps to reconcile extant theories of compensatory recruitment in aging to address the multivariate dynamics of global network functioning. Lastly, older adults with higher WM capacity demonstrated higher levels of network integration in the most difficult condition. These results shed light on the mechanisms of age-related network reorganization by suggesting that changes in network connectivity may act as an adaptive form of compensation, with older adults recruiting a more distributed cortical network as task demands increase.Significance statementOlder adults often activate brain regions not engaged by younger adults, but the circumstances under which this widespread network emerges are unclear. Here, we examined the effects of aging on network connectivity between task regions recruited during a working memory (WM) manipulation task, and the rest of the brain. We found an age-related increase in the more global network integration in older adults, and an association between this integration and working memory capacity in older adults. The findings are generally consistent with the compensatory interpretation of these effects.

scholarly journals Age-related and Genetic Modulation of Frontal Cortex Efficiency

2014 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 746-754 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lars Nyberg ◽  
Micael Andersson ◽  
Karolina Kauppi ◽  
Anders Lundquist ◽  
Jonas Persson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Working Memory ◽  
Representative Sample ◽  
Task Demands ◽  
Bold Signal ◽  
Bold Response ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Low Efficiency ◽  
Large Representative

The dorsolateral pFC (DLPFC) is a key region for working memory. It has been proposed that the DLPFC is dynamically recruited depending on task demands. By this view, high DLPFC recruitment for low-demanding tasks along with weak DLPFC upregulation at higher task demands reflects low efficiency. Here, the fMRI BOLD signal during working memory maintenance and manipulation was examined in relation to aging and catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) Val158Met status in a large representative sample (n = 287). The efficiency hypothesis predicts a weaker DLPFC response during manipulation, along with a stronger response during maintenance for older adults and COMT Val carriers compared with younger adults and COMT Met carriers. Consistent with the hypothesis, younger adults and met carriers showed maximal DLPFC BOLD response during manipulation, whereas older adults and val carriers displayed elevated DLPFC responses during the less demanding maintenance condition. The observed inverted relations support a link between dopamine and DLPFC efficiency.

Age Effects on Adjustments of Performance Monitoring to Task Difficulty

2012 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 145-153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melanie Schreiber ◽  
Tanja Endrass ◽  
Anne Weigand ◽  
Norbert Kathmann
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Task Difficulty ◽  
Performance Monitoring ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Task Demands ◽  
Response Strategy ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Difficult Condition ◽  
Visual Size

Performance monitoring which is a core component of the executive functions has been found to be altered in older adults. Specifically, older adults showed smaller amplitudes of the error-related negativity (Ne/ERN) but increased amplitudes of the correct-related negativity (Nc/CRN), and a lack of adjustment to stimulus-response compatibility. The present study used a visual size discrimination task with two difficulty levels to further examine age-related alterations of the adaptation to actual task demands. Older adults showed a cautious response strategy with slower but more accurate responses than younger adults. Both age groups showed post-error slowing. Misperception of errors in the difficult condition was larger in older adults. In contrast to older adults, Ne/ERN amplitudes decreased and Nc/CRN amplitudes increased from the easy to the difficult condition in younger adults. This may indicate that adjustment to task difficulty was reduced in the older age group. It is concluded that conscious perception of errors and adaptation of the automatic performance monitoring to changing task demands are affected by age.

Of Mice and Pen: Effects of Input Device on Different Age Groups Performing Goal-Oriented Tasks

2007 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-49 ◽  
Author(s):  
James F. Kravitz
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Real World ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Task Demands ◽  
Input Device ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Input Devices ◽  
Tablet Pcs ◽  
Research Hypothesis ◽  
Age Related

Convertible tablet PCs can use a pen or a mouse for input. The pen is better suited than the mouse for some tasks because of its interaction properties, and research has shown it may ameliorate age-related decrements in performance. This study compared the pen and mouse on a series of realistic tasks for older (55–69) and younger (18–30) adults. Precision tasks were better served by the mouse, while ballistic tasks with strong analogs to real-world actions were served equally well by the pen or the mouse. Older adults were slower than younger adults on both devices, but contrary to the research hypothesis, no benefits were observed specifically for older adults with the pen. This study reinforces findings regarding the importance of task demands when selecting input devices. Younger adults seemed more willing than older adults to embrace the pen.

scholarly journals The Interactions Between Cognitive Control, Aging, and Emotion

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda Truong
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Contextual Information ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Task Demands ◽  
Proactive Control ◽  
Reactive Control ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Goal Maintenance ◽  
Age Related

The dual mechanisms of control framework proposes that age-related declines in cognitive control are due to deficits with continuous goal maintenance (proactive control). Older adults default instead to another form of control (reactive control). In contrast to these declines, older adults demonstrate preserved emotional processing. According to the socioemotional selectivity theory, perceived time constraints related to advancing age results in emotional regulation goals in which older adults prioritize positive well-being or mood. To achieve this, they devote more cognitive resources and pay greater attention to positive versus negative information (“positivity effects”) than younger adults. Research on the interactions between cognitive control and emotion is increasing but work focused on the interactions in older adults is limited. Thus, it is unknown how older adults' emotional goals may influence their goal maintenance deficits. This study manipulated mood and emotional face stimuli to examine whether these factors affect age differences in cognitive control between younger (ages 18-30) and older adults (ages 65+). Experiment 1 induced neutral or negative moods prior to a cognitive control task (the standard letter AX-CPT task). Results indicated typical patterns of proactive control in younger adults and reactive control in older adults that did not vary substantially by mood. Experiment 2 examined the effects of neutral, negative, and positive mood inductions on a less cognitively demanding version of the AX-CPT (with face cues as contextual information). Results showed evidence of enhanced proactive control in older adults that was comparable to that of younger adults across all mood conditions, although this was limited to response time data. Additionally, there was evidence of small mood effects on cognitive control. Finally, Experiment 3 examined the effect of positive, negative, and neutral contextual information (face cues) on older adults' cognitive control performance using a different variant of the AX-CPT (face AX-CPT). Results indicated strong engagement in reactive control that did not vary by the emotionality of the contextual information. Together, the results of this study suggest that older adults’ proactive control patterns are affected by the task demands of the AX-CPT, but there is less evidence of mood or emotional stimuli effects.

Age and response bias: Evidence from the strength-based mirror effect

2014 ◽  
Vol 67 (10) ◽  
pp. 1910-1924 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy H. Criss ◽  
William Aue ◽  
Aslı Kılıç
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Episodic Memory ◽  
Response Bias ◽  
Mirror Effect ◽  
Task Demands ◽  
Theoretical Development ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Strength Based ◽  
Age Related Changes

Performance in episodic memory is determined both by accurate retrieval from memory and by decision processes. A substantial body of literature suggests slightly poorer episodic memory accuracy for older than younger adults; however, age-related changes in the decision mechanisms in memory have received much less attention. Response bias, the willingness to endorse an item as remembered, is an important decision factor that contributes to episodic memory performance, and therefore understanding age-related changes in response bias is critical to theoretical development. We manipulate list strength in order to investigate two aspects of response bias. First, we evaluate whether criterion placement in episodic memory differs for older and younger adults. Second, we ask whether older adults have the same degree of flexibility to adjust the criterion in response to task demands as younger adults. Participants were tested on weakly and strongly encoded lists where word frequency (Experiment 1) or similarity between targets and foils (Experiment 2) was manipulated. Both older and younger adults had higher hit rates and lower false-alarm rates for strong lists than for weak lists (i.e., a strength-based mirror effect). Older adults were more conservative (less likely to endorse an item as studied) than younger adults, and we found no evidence that older and younger adults differ in their ability to flexibly adjust their criterion based on the demands of the task.

scholarly journals Dual tasking interferes with dynamic balance in young and old healthy adults

2021 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 155-162
Author(s):  
Amal Al-Shaikh Sulaiman ◽  
Marie Kelly ◽  
Mairead O’Connor ◽  
Doris Eva-Bamiou ◽  
Marousa Pavlou
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Executive Function ◽  
Dual Task ◽  
Dynamic Balance ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Functional Mobility ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Dual Tasking ◽  
Falls Risk ◽  
Age Related

BACKGROUND: Functional mobility requires an ability to adapt to environmental factors together with an ability to execute a secondary task simultaneously while walking. A complex dual-tasking gait test may provide an indication of functional ability and falls risk among community-dwelling older adults. PURPOSE: The aim of this cross-sectional study is to investigate age-related differences in dual-tasking ability and to evaluate whether dual-tasking ability is related to executive function. METHODS: Forty-one community-dwelling healthy older and forty-one younger adults completed a dual-tasking assessment in which concurrent tasks were incorporated into the Functional Gait Assessment (FGA). The manual dual-task involved carrying a glass of water (FGA-M) while the cognitive dual-tasks involved numeracy (FGA-N) and literacy (FGA-L) related tasks. FGA scores under single (FGA-S) and dual-task conditions together with associated dual-task costs and response accuracy were determined. Executive function was assessed using The Behavioural Assessment of the Dysexecutive Syndrome (BADS). RESULTS: FGA-N and FGA-L scores were adversely affected in both groups compared to FGA-S (p≤0.001). However, score reductions and dual-task costs were significantly greater for older adults compared to younger adults on FGA-N (p≤0.05) and FGA-L (p≤0.001), with older adult performance on FGA-N associated with falls risk (p≤0.05). Executive function did not appear to be related to dual-tasking ability. CONCLUSION: Findings suggest that cognitively demanding tasks while walking, have a deleterious effect on dynamic balance and could place older adults at a greater risk of falls.

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.

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