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The Change Processes in Selective Attention during Adulthood. Inhibition or Processing Speed?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 October 2020

Isabel Introzzi Open the ORCID record for Isabel Introzzi [Opens in a new window] ,
Eliana Zamora Open the ORCID record for Eliana Zamora [Opens in a new window] ,
Yesica Aydmune Open the ORCID record for Yesica Aydmune [Opens in a new window] ,
María Marta Richard’s Open the ORCID record for María Marta Richard’s [Opens in a new window] ,
Ana Comesaña  and
Lorena Canet-Juric Open the ORCID record for Lorena Canet-Juric [Opens in a new window]
Isabel Introzzi*
Affiliation:
Instituto de Psicología Básica, Aplicada y Tecnología del Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas y de la Universidad del Mar de Plata (Argentina)
Eliana Zamora
Affiliation:
Instituto de Psicología Básica, Aplicada y Tecnología del Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas y de la Universidad del Mar de Plata (Argentina)
Yesica Aydmune
Affiliation:
Instituto de Psicología Básica, Aplicada y Tecnología del Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas y de la Universidad del Mar de Plata (Argentina)
María Marta Richard’s
Affiliation:
Instituto de Psicología Básica, Aplicada y Tecnología del Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas y de la Universidad del Mar de Plata (Argentina)
Ana Comesaña
Affiliation:
Instituto de Psicología Básica, Aplicada y Tecnología del Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas y de la Universidad del Mar de Plata (Argentina)
Lorena Canet-Juric
Affiliation:
Instituto de Psicología Básica, Aplicada y Tecnología del Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas y de la Universidad del Mar de Plata (Argentina)
*
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Isabel Introzzi. Instituto de Psicología Básica, Aplicada y Tecnología del Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas y de la Universidad Nacional del Mar de Plata. Mar de Plata (Argentina). E-mail: isabelintrozzi@gmail.com
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Abstract

Selective attention is involved in multiple daily activities. Several authors state that it experiences a decline after 20 years, although there is no agreement regarding the cognitive processes that explain it. Two theories dominate the discussion: The theory of inhibitory inefficiency and the theory of processing speed. At the same time, it has been suggested that there could be complementary relations between both; however, it is not clear what the contribution of inhibition and processing speed is on the changes of selective attention. Therefore, the present study proposes to analyze this contribution, in adults between 20 and 80 years old. To assess selective attention and inhibitory control, two indices of a visual search task were obtained in which participants must identify a target stimulus among a set of distracting stimuli. To evaluate the processing speed, a response speed task was used. The main results indicate that, from the age of 60, a gradual decrease in selective attention begins and that this decline can be largely explained by a decrease in processing speed and inhibitory control. We discuss about the literature on the development of selective attention, the contribution of processing speed, and the inhibitory inefficiency hypothesis.

Keywords

adultsinhibitionprocessing speedselective attention
Type
Research Article
Information
The Spanish Journal of Psychology , Volume 23 , 2020 , e37
Copyright
© Universidad Complutense de Madrid and Colegio Oficial de Psicólogos de Madrid 2020

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Footnotes

Conflicts of Interest: None.

Funding Statement: This work was supported by the Consejo Nacional deInvestigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET).

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