28th International Congress of Psychology August 8 ... - U-netSURF

This study analyses the relationship between speed of processing and working memory (WM)
performance in different tasks that involve each one of the WM components (phonological loop,
visuo-spatial sketchpad and central executive). The sample consists of different age-group
participants, age 20 to 75, with similar level of practice in cognitive activity. The results show that,
in spite of the level of practice in cognitive activity, the decline in WM performance is found for
the three components of the WM system as the age increases. The contribution of processing
speed in WM performance is discussed.
5120.6 Effect of goal management training in older adults: A randomized controlled trial, Susan
Van Hooren 1 , Susanne Valentijn 2 , Hans Bosma 3 , Martin Van Boxtel 2 , Jelle Jolles 2 , 1 European
Graduate School of Neuroscience (EURON), Maastricht University, NL, Department of
2
Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, The Netherlands, Department of Psychiatry and
Neuropsychology, Maastricht University, 3 Department of Health Care Studies, Maastricht
University, The Netherlands
The objective of this study was to examine the effect of a training procedure in older adults that
addressed executive functioning, called Goal Management Training. The aim of this intervention
was to teach individuals a strategy to improve planning activities and to structure intentions. The
design was a randomized controlled trail that included 70 community dwelling older individuals.
Compared with controls, participants in the intervention group were less annoyed by their
cognitive failures after the intervention. Furthermore, complaints about executive functioning
decreased after the intervention. These effects were also present at 7 weeks follow-up.
5120.7 The effect of perceived spatial separation on informational and energetic masking of
speech in younger and older adults, Bruce Schneider 1 , Meredyth Daneman 1 , James Qi 1 , Liang
Li 2 , 1 Department of Psychology, Centre for Research on Biological Communication Systems,
University of Toronto at Mississauga, Canada, 2 Department of Psychology, Speech and Hearing
Research Center, Peking University, Beijing, China
Younger and older adults listened to and repeated meaningless sentences in the presence of a
masker (either speech-spectrum noise or two competing talkers) when target and masker were
perceived as originating at the same or different positions in space. Perceived spatial separation of
the masker from the target speech produced a much larger improvement in performance when the
masker was “informational” (talking) than when the masker was “energetic” (noise). However, the
size of this improvement was the same for younger and older adults. Thus perceived spatial
separation reduces cognitive level interference to the same extent in younger and older adults.
5120.8 The age-orientaton paradox: Psychophysiological studies, István Czigler, Institute for
Psychology of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Hungary
In comparison to younger participants, novel, unexpected stimuli elicit longer effects in elderly.
This eduring effect is reflected in decreased habituation of both the autonomous activity and in the
event-related potentials (ERPs) of the brain. On the other hand, novel, unexpected stimuli elicit
stronger ERP effects in younger participants. This latter effect is demonstrated in a study where
younger and older participants performed a letter-matching task. In some trials pictures of visual
objects (novels) were presented. In the younger group novel stimuli elicited a large negative ERP
component maximal over the central location. No such activity emerged in the elderly.
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