Aging and Performance of Cognitive and Perceptual Tasks

描述（由申请人提供）：人类视觉系统的一个重要功能是恢复关于环境中物体的运动和观察者通过环境的运动的信息。视觉系统对该信息的恢复通过两种不同的分析来执行。一种分析是从局部图像速度的方向中提取微分不变信息。第二个分析是关于整合速度和方向信息在大区域的视野。我们之前关于运动感知和衰老的研究已经研究了感知2D运动的年龄相关差异（例如，运动相干性）并且基于微分不变量（例如，表面检测和识别、相对深度、碰撞检测）。这些研究记录了与年龄相关的依赖于视觉系统分析的复杂感知任务的下降。本研究将探讨与年龄相关的差异，负责第二个分析-整合速度信息的过程。本研究的目的是通过对基本运动敏感度的研究、对用于执行感知任务的运动信息的研究、以及对驾驶过程中的老化和使用这些信息的研究来探讨这一问题。具体地，将进行实验以（1）评估在整合速度信息中的年龄相关差异，（2）评估在整合方向信息中的年龄相关差异，（3）确定在整合速度中的年龄相关差异与观察者运动任务在感知的自我运动、航向感知、自我速度感知和碰撞检测上的表现之间的关系，（4）考察速度信息整合与驾驶任务绩效之间的关系。这项研究将提供一个理解的视觉机制负责速度整合，如何在这些机制中的年龄相关的变化决定了成功的高层次的任务在观察者运动的性能，以及如何与年龄相关的差异与驾驶相关的感知任务的结果与年龄相关的速度整合的差异。这项研究的结果将有助于了解与年龄相关的事故风险增加。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): An important function of the human visual system is to recover information regarding movement of objects in the environment and movement of the observer through the environment. The recovery of this information by the visual system is performed by two distinct analyses. One analysis is concerned with extracting differential invariant information from the directions of local image velocities. The second analysis is concerned with integrating speed and direction information over large regions of the visual field. Our previous research on motion perception and aging has examined age-related differences in perceiving 2D motion (e.g., motion coherence) and has examined age-related differences in performing perceptual tasks based on differential invariants (e.g., surface detection and identification, relative depth, collision detection). These studies have documented age-related declines in performing complex perceptual tasks dependent on one analysis of the visual system. The proposed research will examine age-related differences in processes responsible for the second analysis---integrating velocity information. The proposed research is designed to examine this issue by conducting studies on basic motion sensitivity, conducting studies on motion information for performing perceptual tasks, and conducting studies on aging and the use of such information during driving. Specifically, experiments will be conducted to (1) assess age related differences in integrating speed information, (2) assess age-related differences in integrating direction information, (3) determine the relationship between age-related differences in integrating velocity and the performance of observer motion tasks on perceived self-motion, the perception of heading, the perception of egospeed, and the detection of collisions, and (4) examine the relationship between the integration of velocity information and the performance of driving tasks. This research will provide an understanding of the visual mechanisms responsible for velocity integration, how age-related changes in these mechanisms determines the successful performance of high level tasks during observer motion, and how age-related differences in perceptual tasks associated with driving are the result of age-related differences in velocity integration. The results of this research will be beneficial in understanding the increased accident risk associated with age.