Neurophysiological measures of task-set switching: effects of working memory and aging
P. Goffaux, N. Phillips, M. Sinai, and D. Pushkar. The Journals of Gerontology. Series B, Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 63 (2):
P57--66(March 2008)PMID: 18441266.
Abstract
We investigated age-related differences in task-switching performance by using behavioral measures and event-related brain potentials. We tested younger and older adults, and we separated older adults into groups with high and low working memory (WM); that is, we separated them into old-high-WM and old-low-WM groups. On average, all participants responded more slowly in mixed-task than in single-task blocks (i.e., reaction time or RT mixing cost). Younger adults and old-high-WM participants had equivalent RT mixing costs and showed larger posterior negative slow-wave activity when preparing for mixed trials than for single-task trials, suggesting that mixed-task trials required trial-to-trial preparation. Old-high-WM participants also showed frontally distributed activity on mixed-task trials, suggesting their use of executive control to offset age-related differences in mixed-task preparation. In contrast, old-low-WM participants had large RT mixing costs and large posterior event-related brain potential negativities during single-task trials, suggesting that they prepare during single- and mixed-task blocks. High WM, therefore, may help older adults offset the age-related difficulties often observed when they are task switching.
%0 Journal Article
%1 goffaux_neurophysiological_2008
%A Goffaux, Philippe
%A Phillips, Natalie A
%A Sinai, Marco
%A Pushkar, Dolores
%D 2008
%J The Journals of Gerontology. Series B, Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences
%K Aged Aging Attention Brain Evoked_Potentials Female Humans Male Memory Memory_Disorders Prevalence Psychomotor_Performance Severity_of_Illness_Index Wechsler_Scales {Short-Term}
%N 2
%P P57--66
%T Neurophysiological measures of task-set switching: effects of working memory and aging
%U http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18441266
%V 63
%X We investigated age-related differences in task-switching performance by using behavioral measures and event-related brain potentials. We tested younger and older adults, and we separated older adults into groups with high and low working memory (WM); that is, we separated them into old-high-WM and old-low-WM groups. On average, all participants responded more slowly in mixed-task than in single-task blocks (i.e., reaction time or RT mixing cost). Younger adults and old-high-WM participants had equivalent RT mixing costs and showed larger posterior negative slow-wave activity when preparing for mixed trials than for single-task trials, suggesting that mixed-task trials required trial-to-trial preparation. Old-high-WM participants also showed frontally distributed activity on mixed-task trials, suggesting their use of executive control to offset age-related differences in mixed-task preparation. In contrast, old-low-WM participants had large RT mixing costs and large posterior event-related brain potential negativities during single-task trials, suggesting that they prepare during single- and mixed-task blocks. High WM, therefore, may help older adults offset the age-related difficulties often observed when they are task switching.
@article{goffaux_neurophysiological_2008,
abstract = {We investigated age-related differences in task-switching performance by using behavioral measures and event-related brain potentials. We tested younger and older adults, and we separated older adults into groups with high and low working memory {(WM);} that is, we separated them into {old-high-WM} and {old-low-WM} groups. On average, all participants responded more slowly in mixed-task than in single-task blocks (i.e., reaction time or {RT} mixing cost). Younger adults and {old-high-WM} participants had equivalent {RT} mixing costs and showed larger posterior negative slow-wave activity when preparing for mixed trials than for single-task trials, suggesting that mixed-task trials required trial-to-trial preparation. {Old-high-WM} participants also showed frontally distributed activity on mixed-task trials, suggesting their use of executive control to offset age-related differences in mixed-task preparation. In contrast, {old-low-WM} participants had large {RT} mixing costs and large posterior event-related brain potential negativities during single-task trials, suggesting that they prepare during single- and mixed-task blocks. High {WM}, therefore, may help older adults offset the age-related difficulties often observed when they are task switching.},
added-at = {2011-08-03T20:43:11.000+0200},
author = {Goffaux, Philippe and Phillips, Natalie A and Sinai, Marco and Pushkar, Dolores},
biburl = {https://www.bibsonomy.org/bibtex/24079990972ca92b9147ff654049c1a42/crc_chus},
interhash = {2919a92884535bd89d082e334d9c1773},
intrahash = {4079990972ca92b9147ff654049c1a42},
issn = {1079-5014},
journal = {The Journals of Gerontology. Series B, Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences},
keywords = {Aged Aging Attention Brain Evoked_Potentials Female Humans Male Memory Memory_Disorders Prevalence Psychomotor_Performance Severity_of_Illness_Index Wechsler_Scales {Short-Term}},
month = mar,
note = {{PMID:} 18441266},
number = 2,
pages = {P57--66},
shorttitle = {Neurophysiological measures of task-set switching},
timestamp = {2011-08-03T20:43:11.000+0200},
title = {Neurophysiological measures of task-set switching: effects of working memory and aging},
url = {http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18441266},
volume = 63,
year = 2008
}