Covert visual orienting across the lifespan.

Abstract

Covert visual orienting was examined over a span of human life ranging from six to 73 years. The observer's task was the speeded discrimination of "X" from "O1" but of primary interest was the effect of a location cue that appeared prior to the target. Both an abrupt stimulus cue and a voluntary information cue were studied using response time (RT) measures. Eye movements were monitored to control for differences in the ability to maintain fixation. Experiment 1 showed that there were very few age differences in stimulus-cued orienting. In contrast, there were important differences when orienting was intentional. In comparison with young adults, children were less able to sustain orienting over time, and senior adults required more time to use the cue. Experiment 2 tested the relation between stimulus and information cues when they both occurred prior to a given target. All age groups were able to use information cues in the presence of conflicting stimulus cues, but young adults were better able to do so than either children or senior adults. These results are interpreted as support for the view that separate mechanisms underlie stimulus-based versus information-based spatial orienting.