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Abstract:
Abstract: Although older individuals often are stereotyped as
indifferent to novel aspects of their environment, there has been
limited research on this issue. ERPs were recorded in 20 older
adults (mean age 68) and 24 young adults (mean age 21), matched for
education and gender. They viewed line drawings that included a
frequent, repetitive background stimulus, an infrequent target
stimulus, and infrequent novel stimuli. Subjects controlled viewing
duration by button press (that served as a measure of allocation of
attention) and responded to targets by foot pedal. There were no
overall group differences in P3 amplitude to novel stimuli. The P3
wave in older subjects was more anteriorly distributed. Compared to
younger subjects, older subjects exhibited larger P2, smaller N2,
and similar slow wave responses to novel stimuli. Although older
subjects had longer P3 latencies, there were no latency differences
for P2 and N2. Behaviorally, there were no group differences in the
time subjects spent viewing various stimulus types. Both groups
looked at novel stimuli much longer than background or target
stimuli. This work demonstrates that electrophysiologic responses
and the allocation of attention to novel visual stimuli can be very
well preserved in older individuals. Differences in the pattern of
ERPs suggest that aging does not necessarily lead to diminished
responsiveness to novelty, but rather to alternative, but similarly
effective ways of processing it.
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