Elsevier

Cognitive Development

Volume 13, Issue 3, July–September 1998, Pages 369-386
Cognitive Development

Lifespan changes in attention: The visual search task

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0885-2014(98)90016-8Get rights and content

Abstract

There are two popular frameworks for the study of visual attention. Treisman's Feature Integration Theory focuses on the effortful process of binding together the multiple attributes of an object. Posner's Visual Orienting Theory emphasizes the movement of an attentional spotlight across space. Although both aspects are undoubtedly important in any visual search task, it is not clear how each of these aspects changes with age. We tested observers aged 6, 8, 10, 22, and 72 years on visual search tasks designed to isolate these factors. No age-related differences were found in single- or double-feature discrimination, attention movement to a single item, or search for a single-feature target among distractors. Two age-related changes were found: (1) young children were less able than either young adults or seniors to search for targets defined by a conjunction of features, and (2) both children and seniors were less able than young adults to move attention voluntarily from item to item. This implies that feature integration and voluntary movement of attention have different trajectories over the lifespan.

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    We would like to thank Tracey Woods and Dianne Ellis for their help in data collection and record keeping. This research was funded by a grant from the B.C. Health Foundation.

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