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Summary information

Study title

Effects of cognitive aging on attentional engagement during route learning -Experimental data

Creator

Wiener, J, Bournemouth University

Study number / PID

852534 (UKDA)

10.5255/UKDA-SN-852534 (DOI)

Data access

Open

Series

Not available

Abstract

Route learning is a common navigation task affected by cognitive aging. Here we present a novel experimental paradigm to investigate whether age-related declines in executive control of attention contributes to route learning deficits. A young and an older participant group was repeatedly presented with a route through a virtual maze comprised of twelve decision points (DP) and non-decision points (non-DP). To investigate attentional engagement with the route learning task, participants had to respond to auditory probes at both DP and non-DP. Route knowledge was assessed by showing participants screenshots or landmarks from DPs and non-DPs and asking them to indicate the movement direction required to continue the route. Results demonstrate better performance for DPs than for non-DPs and slower responses to auditory probes at DPs compared to non-DPs. As expected we found slower route learning and slower responses to the auditory probes in the older participant group. Interestingly, differences in response times to the auditory probes between DPs and non-DPs can predict the success of route learning in both age groups and may explain slower knowledge acquisition in the older participant group.

Topics

Psychology

Keywords

AGINGNAVIGATIONWAYFINDINGROUE LEARNINGATTENTIONATTENIONAL ENGAGEMENT2016

Methodology

Data collection period

01/12/2015 - 31/05/2018

Country

United Kingdom

Time dimension

Not available

Analysis unit

Individual

Universe

Not available

Sampling procedure

Not available

Kind of data

Numeric

Data collection mode

Forty six participants (23 young adults [12 females; mean age 20.57 +-2.57 years; range, 18-28] and 23 older adults [11 females; mean age 72.17 +- 5.56 years; range, 63-85]) took part in the experiment. We administered the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA; Nasreddine et al., 2005) to the older participants to screen for mild cognitive impairment. One older participant was excluded based on the recently recommended MoCA cutoff score for MCI of 23 (Luis et al., 2009). The remaining older participants had a mean MoCa score 26.74 (range 23-30). In this study we present a route learning paradigm inspired by Allen & Kirasic (2003). Specifically, we presented participants with a video of a long route through a virtual environment that consists of decision points, straight segments and simple turns, thus systematically manipulating the navigational relevance of spatial situations along the route. We used an auditory-probe task to measure attentional engagement during the learning of the route (cf. Allen & Kirasic, 2003). To investigate whether attentional engagement contributes to aging-related navigation deficits we compared route learning performance and response times to the auditory probe in different spatial situations between a young and an older participant group.

Funding information

Grant number

ES/M009254/1

Access

Publisher

UK Data Service

Publication year

2016

Terms of data access

Not available

Related publications

Not available