Age-related changes in selective attention and perceptual load during visual search.

Author(s)
Madden, D.J. & Langley, L.K.
Year
Abstract

Three visual search experiments were conducted to test the hypothesis that age differences in selective attention vary as a function of perceptual load (E. A. Maylor & N. Lavie, 1998). Under resource-limited conditions (Experiments 1 and 2), the distraction from irrelevant display items generally decreased as display size (perceptual load) increased. This perceptual load effect was similar for younger and older adults, contrary to the findings of Maylor and Lavie. Distraction at low perceptual loads appeared to reflect both general and specific inhibitory mechanisms. Under more data-limited conditions (Experiment 3), an age-related decline in selective attention was evident, but the age difference was not attributable to capacity limitations as predicted by the perceptual load theory. (Author/publisher)

Request publication

7 + 3 =
Solve this simple math problem and enter the result. E.g. for 1+3, enter 4.

Publication

Library number
C 33245 [electronic version only]
Source

Psychology and Aging, Vol. 18 (2003), No. 1 (March), p. 54-67, 53 ref.

Our collection

This publication is one of our other publications, and part of our extensive collection of road safety literature, that also includes the SWOV publications.