Date of Award
2011
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Program
Kinesiology
Supervisor
Dr. Eric Buckolz
Abstract
Younger {M- 21) and older (M= 74) adults completed a spatial negative priming
(SNP) task that used central event location presentations and which included 1many location-to-response mappings (i.e., free choice trials). The free choice trials allowed us (a) to examine the inhibitory after-effects produced by former distractor-related responses to determine whether they had undergone response inhibition, and, (b) to examine the factors that influence response selection under free choice conditions. The question was whether both of these were preserved with age. Inhibitory after-effects were highly comparable for both age groups; former distractor responses produced slowing and were avoided on free choice trials (within-hand) when competing with control responses. These findings indicate that response inhibition is likely sustained in older adults in location-based tasks.. Additionally, response selection determinants on free choice trials were, again, comparable for the younger and older adults, again showing preservation with age.
Recommended Citation
Lok, Michael Raymond, "THE PRESERVATION OF RESPONSE INHIBITION DURING FREE CHOICE LOCATION PROCESSING IN OLDER ADULTS" (2011). Digitized Theses. 3568.
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/digitizedtheses/3568