Aging and Attentional Control: Examining the Roles of Mind-Wandering Propensity and Dispositional Mindfulness

Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society : JINS
Stephanie Fountain-ZaragozaRuchika Shaurya Prakash

Abstract

Aging is associated with declines in performance on certain laboratory tasks of attentional control. However, older adults tend to report greater mindful, present-moment attention and less mind-wandering (MW) than young adults. For older adults, high levels of these traits may be protective for attentional performance. This study examined age-related differences in global (i.e., full-task) and local (i.e., pre-MW) attentional control and explored the variance explained by MW and mindfulness. Cross-sectional comparisons were conducted on data from a previously reported sample of 75 older adults (ages, 60-75 years) and a new sample of 50 young adults (ages, 18-30 years). All participants completed a Go/No-Go task and a Continuous Performance Task with quasi-random MW probes. There were few age-related differences in attentional control. Although MW was not associated with decrements in global performance, local performance measures revealed deleterious effects of MW, which were present across age groups. Older adults reported higher trait mindfulness and less MW than young adults, and these variables helped explain the lack of observed age-related differences in attentional control. Individual differences in dispositional mindful...Continue Reading

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Citations

Mar 3, 2020·Aging & Mental Health·Leeann Mahlo, Tim D Windsor
Mar 28, 2021·Psychonomic Bulletin & Review·Antonino VallesiRachele Pezzetta

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