Variability in reaction time performance of younger and older adults
Variability in reaction time performance of younger and older adults
复制标题
DOI：
10.1093/geronb/57.2.p101
复制
发表时间：
2002-03-01
影响因子：
6.2
通讯作者：
Dixon, RA
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Hultsch, DF;MacDonald, SWS;Dixon, RA
研究了三种基本类型变异性的年龄差异：人与人之间的变异性（多样性）、人与任务之间的变异性（离散）以及人与时间之间的变异性（不一致）。变异性的测量基于总共 99 名年轻人（17-36 岁）和 763 名老年人（54-94 岁）进行的四项反应时间 (RT) 测量的潜伏期表现。结果表明，即使在统计上控制了组间速度差异时，与年轻参与者相比，老年人的所有三种类型的变异性都更大。分位数-分位数图显示了不一致分布形状的年龄和任务差异。人内变异性（离散性和不一致）的测量呈正相关。 RT 不一致的个体差异与知觉速度、工作记忆、情景记忆和结晶能力测量的表现水平呈负相关。部分集相关分析表明，不一致预测的认知表现与表现水平无关。结果表明，表现的变异性是认知功能和衰老的重要指标。
Age differences in three basic types of variability were examined: variability between persons (diversity), variability within persons across tasks (dispersion), and variability within persons across time (inconsistency). Measures of variability were based on latency performance from four measures of reaction time (RT) performed by a total of 99 younger adults (ages 17-36 years) and 763 older adults (ages 54-94 years). Results indicated that all three types of variability were greater in older compared with younger participants even when group differences in speed were statistically controlled. Quantile-quantile plots showed age and task differences in the shape of the inconsistency distributions. Measures of within-person variability (dispersion and inconsistency) were positively correlated. Individual differences in RT inconsistency correlated negatively with level of performance on measures of perceptual speed, working memory, episodic memory, and crystallized abilities. Partial set correlation analyses indicated that inconsistency predicted cognitive performance independent of level of performance. The results indicate that variability of performance is an important indicator of cognitive functioning and aging.