Less attentional selectivity as a result of declining inhibition in older adults

Abstract

It has been hypothesized that a salient feature of the aging process is a decline in the ability to inhibit intrusive irrelevant information. Examination of distractor interference and negative priming effects in a group of older adults confirmed this hypothesis: Distracting information interfered with performance more in older subjects, and this population produced less evidence for inhibitory mechanisms when compared with younger adults. It is suggested that inhibition may be a general mechanism that is particularly vulnerable in a variety of clinical populations, and it may provide a marker for early detection of syndromes characterized by breakdown in cognitive processes. © 1991, The Psychonomic Society, Inc.. All rights reserved.