TY - JOUR
T1 - Preserved left and upper visual field advantages in older adults' orienting of attention
AU - Erel, Hadas
AU - Ronen, Tamar
AU - Freedman, Guy
AU - Deouell, Leon Y.
AU - Levy, Daniel A.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 Elsevier Inc.
PY - 2019/9
Y1 - 2019/9
N2 - Lateralization of the distribution of attentional function in the brain is asserted to lead to asymmetry in attentional allocation. This is expressed in the phenomenon of pseudoneglect, in which line and object bisection judgments indicate left visual field (and presumably right hemisphere) dominance. Several studies indicate that this asymmetry is not found in old age, which is taken as an indication of decline in attentional function with aging. We examined this assertion using a more comprehensive assay of attentional asymmetry. We contrasted the spatial distribution of older and younger adults' visual attention using the Starry Night Task, a speeded visual search task in which targets must be located across a wide spatial distribution against a dynamic background of distracters. As expected, compared to younger adults, older adults' response times were longer overall. However, we found that older adults exhibited a graded left visual field advantage, even more distinctly than did younger adults. Additionally, older adults exhibited a graded upper visual field advantage equivalent to that of younger adults. These results indicate that aging may not necessarily compromise basic patterns of distribution of spatial attention. They do not support claims of aging-related loss of attentional lateralization.
AB - Lateralization of the distribution of attentional function in the brain is asserted to lead to asymmetry in attentional allocation. This is expressed in the phenomenon of pseudoneglect, in which line and object bisection judgments indicate left visual field (and presumably right hemisphere) dominance. Several studies indicate that this asymmetry is not found in old age, which is taken as an indication of decline in attentional function with aging. We examined this assertion using a more comprehensive assay of attentional asymmetry. We contrasted the spatial distribution of older and younger adults' visual attention using the Starry Night Task, a speeded visual search task in which targets must be located across a wide spatial distribution against a dynamic background of distracters. As expected, compared to younger adults, older adults' response times were longer overall. However, we found that older adults exhibited a graded left visual field advantage, even more distinctly than did younger adults. Additionally, older adults exhibited a graded upper visual field advantage equivalent to that of younger adults. These results indicate that aging may not necessarily compromise basic patterns of distribution of spatial attention. They do not support claims of aging-related loss of attentional lateralization.
KW - Attention
KW - Laterality
KW - Orienting
KW - Visual search pseudoneglect
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85067495689&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.exger.2019.110630
DO - 10.1016/j.exger.2019.110630
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C2 - 31195104
AN - SCOPUS:85067495689
SN - 0531-5565
VL - 124
JO - Experimental Gerontology
JF - Experimental Gerontology
M1 - 110630
ER -