Individual Differences, Aging, and IQ in Two-choice Tasks

Overview

Journal Cogn Psychol

Publisher Elsevier

Specialty Psychology

Date 2009 Dec 8

PMID 19962693

Citations 109

Authors

Roger Ratcliff

Anjali Thapar

Gail McKoon

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The effects of aging and IQ on performance were examined in three two-choice tasks: numerosity discrimination, recognition memory, and lexical decision. The experimental data, accuracy, correct and error response times, and response time distributions, were well explained by Ratcliff's (1978) diffusion model. The components of processing identified by the model were compared across levels of IQ (ranging from 83 to 146) and age (college students, 60-74, and 75-90 year olds). Declines in performance with age were not significantly different for low compared to high IQ subjects. IQ but not age had large effects on the quality of the evidence that was obtained from a stimulus or memory, that is, the evidence upon which decisions were based. Applying the model to individual subjects, the components of processing identified by the model for individuals correlated across tasks. In addition, the model's predictions and the data were examined for the "worst performance rule", the finding that age and IQ have larger effects on slower responses than faster responses.

Citing Articles

Constraining functional coactivation with a cluster-based structural connectivity network.

Kang I, Galdo M, Turner B Netw Neurosci. 2024; 6(4):1032-1065.

PMID: 38800456 PMC: 11117093. DOI: 10.1162/netn_a_00242.

The neural implausibility of the diffusion decision model doesn't matter for cognitive psychometrics, but the Ornstein-Uhlenbeck model is better.

Wang J, Donkin C Psychon Bull Rev. 2024; 31(6):2724-2736.

PMID: 38743214 PMC: 11680627. DOI: 10.3758/s13423-024-02520-5.

Measuring Cognitive Function and Cognitive Decline With Response Time Data in the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project.

Sanders S, Schofield L, Schumm L, Waite L J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2024; 80(Supplement_1):S66-S74.

PMID: 38576406 PMC: 11742135. DOI: 10.1093/geronb/gbae037.

The gated cascade diffusion model: An integrated theory of decision making, motor preparation, and motor execution.

Dendauw E, Evans N, Logan G, Haffen E, Bennabi D, Gajdos T Psychol Rev. 2024; 131(4):825-857.

PMID: 38386394 PMC: 7616365. DOI: 10.1037/rev0000464.

Flanker interference at both stimulus and response levels decreases with age.

Di Chiaro N, Holmes N Exp Brain Res. 2024; 242(3):757-767.

PMID: 38302777 PMC: 10894761. DOI: 10.1007/s00221-023-06773-9.

References

Van Dijk K, Van Gerven P, van Boxtel M, Van der Elst W, Jolles J . No protective effects of education during normal cognitive aging: results from the 6-year follow-up of the Maastricht Aging Study. Psychol Aging. 2008; 23(1):119-30. DOI: 10.1037/0882-7974.23.1.119. View

Starns J, Ratcliff R . The effects of aging on the speed-accuracy compromise: Boundary optimality in the diffusion model. Psychol Aging. 2010; 25(2):377-90. PMC: 2896207. DOI: 10.1037/a0018022. View

Spear P . Neural bases of visual deficits during aging. Vision Res. 1993; 33(18):2589-609. DOI: 10.1016/0042-6989(93)90218-l. View

Ratcliff R, Gomez P, McKoon G . A diffusion model account of the lexical decision task. Psychol Rev. 2004; 111(1):159-82. PMC: 1403837. DOI: 10.1037/0033-295X.111.1.159. View

Robertson S, Myerson J, Hale S . Are there age differences in intraindividual variability in working memory performance?. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2006; 61(1):P18-24. DOI: 10.1093/geronb/61.1.p18. View

RABINOWITZ J . Aging and recognition failure. J Gerontol. 1984; 39(1):65-71. DOI: 10.1093/geronj/39.1.65. View

Rabbitt P, Chetwynd A, McInnes L . Do clever brains age more slowly? Further exploration of a nun result. Br J Psychol. 2003; 94(Pt 1):63-71. DOI: 10.1348/000712603762842101. View

Albert M, Jones K, Savage C, Berkman L, Seeman T, Blazer D . Predictors of cognitive change in older persons: MacArthur studies of successful aging. Psychol Aging. 1995; 10(4):578-89. DOI: 10.1037//0882-7974.10.4.578. View

Hale S, Myerson J, Smith G, Poon L . Age, variability, and speed: between-subjects diversity. Psychol Aging. 1988; 3(4):407-10. DOI: 10.1037//0882-7974.3.4.407. View

10.

Owsley C, Sekuler R, Siemsen D . Contrast sensitivity throughout adulthood. Vision Res. 1983; 23(7):689-99. DOI: 10.1016/0042-6989(83)90210-9. View

11.

. Adult age differences in memory performance: tests of an associative deficit hypothesis. J Exp Psychol Learn Mem Cogn. 2000; 26(5):1170-87. DOI: 10.1037//0278-7393.26.5.1170. View

12.

Folstein M, Folstein S, McHugh P . "Mini-mental state". A practical method for grading the cognitive state of patients for the clinician. J Psychiatr Res. 1975; 12(3):189-98. DOI: 10.1016/0022-3956(75)90026-6. View

13.

HOHLE R . INFERRED COMPONENTS OF REACTION TIMES AS FUNCTIONS OF FOREPERIOD DURATION. J Exp Psychol. 1965; 69:382-6. DOI: 10.1037/h0021740. View

14.

Coyne A . Age differences and practice in forward visual masking. J Gerontol. 1981; 36(6):730-2. DOI: 10.1093/geronj/36.6.730. View

15.

Thapar A, Ratcliff R, McKoon G . A diffusion model analysis of the effects of aging on letter discrimination. Psychol Aging. 2003; 18(3):415-29. PMC: 1360152. DOI: 10.1037/0882-7974.18.3.415. View

16.

Myerson J, Hale S, Chen J, Lawrence B . General lexical slowing and the semantic priming effect: the roles of age and ability. Acta Psychol (Amst). 1997; 96(1-2):83-101. DOI: 10.1016/s0001-6918(97)00002-4. View

17.

Ratcliff R . Modeling response signal and response time data. Cogn Psychol. 2006; 53(3):195-237. PMC: 2397556. DOI: 10.1016/j.cogpsych.2005.10.002. View

18.

Myerson J, Robertson S, Hale S . Aging and intraindividual variability in performance: analyses of response time distributions. J Exp Anal Behav. 2007; 88(3):319-37. PMC: 2174372. DOI: 10.1901/jeab.2007.88-319. View

19.

Ratcliff R, Rouder J . A diffusion model account of masking in two-choice letter identification. J Exp Psychol Hum Percept Perform. 2000; 26(1):127-40. DOI: 10.1037//0096-1523.26.1.127. View

20.

Cerella J . Generalized slowing in Brinley plots. J Gerontol. 1994; 49(2):P65-71. DOI: 10.1093/geronj/49.2.p65. View