Home > Research > Publications & Outputs > Strategic prioritisation enhances young and old...

Links

Text available via DOI:

View graph of relations

Strategic prioritisation enhances young and older adults' visual feature binding in working memory

Research output: Contribution to Journal/MagazineJournal articlepeer-review

Published

Standard

Strategic prioritisation enhances young and older adults' visual feature binding in working memory. / Allen, Richard J.; Atkinson, Amy L.; Nicholls, Louise A. Brown.
In: The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology , Vol. 74, No. 2, 01.02.2021, p. 363-376.

Research output: Contribution to Journal/MagazineJournal articlepeer-review

Harvard

Allen, RJ, Atkinson, AL & Nicholls, LAB 2021, 'Strategic prioritisation enhances young and older adults' visual feature binding in working memory', The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology , vol. 74, no. 2, pp. 363-376. https://doi.org/10.1177/1747021820960712

APA

Allen, R. J., Atkinson, A. L., & Nicholls, L. A. B. (2021). Strategic prioritisation enhances young and older adults' visual feature binding in working memory. The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology , 74(2), 363-376. https://doi.org/10.1177/1747021820960712

Vancouver

Allen RJ, Atkinson AL, Nicholls LAB. Strategic prioritisation enhances young and older adults' visual feature binding in working memory. The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology . 2021 Feb 1;74(2):363-376. Epub 2020 Sept 30. doi: 10.1177/1747021820960712

Author

Allen, Richard J. ; Atkinson, Amy L. ; Nicholls, Louise A. Brown. / Strategic prioritisation enhances young and older adults' visual feature binding in working memory. In: The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology . 2021 ; Vol. 74, No. 2. pp. 363-376.

Bibtex

@article{100f616c0d964b838e2d32d621c4bc60,
title = "Strategic prioritisation enhances young and older adults' visual feature binding in working memory",
abstract = "Visual working memory for features and bindings is susceptible to age-related decline. Two experiments were used to examine whether older adults are able to strategically prioritise more valuable information in working memory and whether this could reduce age-related impairments. Younger (18–33 years) and older (60–90 years) adults were presented with coloured shapes and, following a brief delay, asked to recall the feature that had accompanied the probe item. In Experiment 1, participants were either asked to prioritise a more valuable object in the array (serial position 1, 2, or 3) or to treat them all equally. Older adults exhibited worse overall memory performance but were as able as younger adults to prioritise objects. In both groups, this ability was particularly apparent at the middle serial position. Experiment 2 then explored whether younger and older adults{\textquoteright} prioritisation is affected by presentation time. Replicating Experiment 1, older adults were able to prioritise the more valuable object in working memory, showing equivalent benefits and costs as younger adults. However, processing speed, as indexed by presentation time, was shown not to limit strategic prioritisation in either age group. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that, although older adults have poorer visual working memory overall, the ability to strategically direct attention to more valuable items in working memory is preserved across ageing.",
keywords = "Visual working memory, cognitive ageing, strategy, prioritisation, processing speed",
author = "Allen, {Richard J.} and Atkinson, {Amy L.} and Nicholls, {Louise A. Brown}",
year = "2021",
month = feb,
day = "1",
doi = "10.1177/1747021820960712",
language = "English",
volume = "74",
pages = "363--376",
journal = "The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology ",
issn = "1747-0218",
publisher = "Psychology Press Ltd",
number = "2",

}

RIS

TY - JOUR

T1 - Strategic prioritisation enhances young and older adults' visual feature binding in working memory

AU - Allen, Richard J.

AU - Atkinson, Amy L.

AU - Nicholls, Louise A. Brown

PY - 2021/2/1

Y1 - 2021/2/1

N2 - Visual working memory for features and bindings is susceptible to age-related decline. Two experiments were used to examine whether older adults are able to strategically prioritise more valuable information in working memory and whether this could reduce age-related impairments. Younger (18–33 years) and older (60–90 years) adults were presented with coloured shapes and, following a brief delay, asked to recall the feature that had accompanied the probe item. In Experiment 1, participants were either asked to prioritise a more valuable object in the array (serial position 1, 2, or 3) or to treat them all equally. Older adults exhibited worse overall memory performance but were as able as younger adults to prioritise objects. In both groups, this ability was particularly apparent at the middle serial position. Experiment 2 then explored whether younger and older adults’ prioritisation is affected by presentation time. Replicating Experiment 1, older adults were able to prioritise the more valuable object in working memory, showing equivalent benefits and costs as younger adults. However, processing speed, as indexed by presentation time, was shown not to limit strategic prioritisation in either age group. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that, although older adults have poorer visual working memory overall, the ability to strategically direct attention to more valuable items in working memory is preserved across ageing.

AB - Visual working memory for features and bindings is susceptible to age-related decline. Two experiments were used to examine whether older adults are able to strategically prioritise more valuable information in working memory and whether this could reduce age-related impairments. Younger (18–33 years) and older (60–90 years) adults were presented with coloured shapes and, following a brief delay, asked to recall the feature that had accompanied the probe item. In Experiment 1, participants were either asked to prioritise a more valuable object in the array (serial position 1, 2, or 3) or to treat them all equally. Older adults exhibited worse overall memory performance but were as able as younger adults to prioritise objects. In both groups, this ability was particularly apparent at the middle serial position. Experiment 2 then explored whether younger and older adults’ prioritisation is affected by presentation time. Replicating Experiment 1, older adults were able to prioritise the more valuable object in working memory, showing equivalent benefits and costs as younger adults. However, processing speed, as indexed by presentation time, was shown not to limit strategic prioritisation in either age group. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that, although older adults have poorer visual working memory overall, the ability to strategically direct attention to more valuable items in working memory is preserved across ageing.

KW - Visual working memory

KW - cognitive ageing

KW - strategy

KW - prioritisation

KW - processing speed

U2 - 10.1177/1747021820960712

DO - 10.1177/1747021820960712

M3 - Journal article

VL - 74

SP - 363

EP - 376

JO - The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology

JF - The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology

SN - 1747-0218

IS - 2

ER -