Although large and robust age-related deficits have been observed in dual-task performance for over two decades there have been few studies which have examined the question of whether older adults can improve their dual-task performance through training, and whether such improvements might parallel those exhibited by younger adults or instead narrow the age-related gap in dual-task performance. In the proposed research program, which represents a logical extension of laboratory research carried out over the past several years (Kramer et al., 1995, in press), the investigators will examine the influence of specific training strategies on the learning transfer and retention of dual-task processing skills for young and elderly adults. The major aims of the research program include: (1) To examine the hypothesis that training strategies which emphasize the flexible coordination among multiple concurrently performed tasks will enhance the rate of learning and level of mastery exhibited on trained tasks as well as the retention of task coordination skills over time. (2) To examine the hypothesis that dual-task training, particularly with variable priority training strategies (Gopher, 1995), will lead to the improvement in a number of aspects of processing including; the automatization of the trained tasks, the efficiency of dual-task processing strategies such as time-sharing and time-switching, and the efficiency of elementary processes relevant to dual-task performance such as perceptual speed, working memory, and various attentional processes. (3) To examine the hypothesis that training strategies which emphasize flexible coordination of multiple tasks and the monitoring of performance will lead to the development of dual-task processing skills which can be transferred from the trained tasks to more complex tasks which represent real-world information processing.
| Cepeda, Nicholas J; Blackwell, Katharine A; Munakata, Yuko (2013) Speed isn't everything: complex processing speed measures mask individual differences and developmental changes in executive control. Dev Sci 16:269-286 |
| Nagamatsu, Lindsay S; Voss, Michelle; Neider, Mark B et al. (2011) Increased cognitive load leads to impaired mobility decisions in seniors at risk for falls. Psychol Aging 26:253-9 |
| Erickson, Kirk I; Voss, Michelle W; Prakash, Ruchika S et al. (2010) A cross-sectional study of hormone treatment and hippocampal volume in postmenopausal women: evidence for a limited window of opportunity. Neuropsychology 24:68-76 |
| Bherer, Louis; Kramer, Arthur F; Peterson, Matthew S et al. (2006) Testing the limits of cognitive plasticity in older adults: application to attentional control. Acta Psychol (Amst) 123:261-78 |
| Erickson, Kirk I; Colcombe, Stanley J; Wadhwa, Ruchika et al. (2005) Neural correlates of dual-task performance after minimizing task-preparation. Neuroimage 28:967-79 |
| Colcombe, Stan J; Kramer, Arthur F; Erickson, Kirk I et al. (2005) The implications of cortical recruitment and brain morphology for individual differences in inhibitory function in aging humans. Psychol Aging 20:363-75 |
| Bojko, Agnieszka; Kramer, Arthur F; Peterson, Matthew S (2004) Age equivalence in switch costs for prosaccade and antisaccade tasks. Psychol Aging 19:226-34 |
| Colcombe, Stanley J; Kramer, Arthur F; Erickson, Kirk I et al. (2004) Cardiovascular fitness, cortical plasticity, and aging. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 101:3316-21 |
| Kramer, Arthur F; Bherer, Louis; Colcombe, Stanley J et al. (2004) Environmental influences on cognitive and brain plasticity during aging. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 59:M940-57 |
| Cassavaugh, Nicholas; Kramer, Arthur F; Peterson, Matthew S (2004) Aging and the strategic control of the fixation offset effect. Psychol Aging 19:357-61 |
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