Search and the Aging Mind: The Promise and Limits of the Cognitive Control Hypothesis of Age Differences in Search. (27th March 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Mata, Rui; von Helversen, Bettina
• Is Part Of: Topics in cognitive science. Volume 7:Number 3(2015:Jul.)
• Page Start: 416
• Page End: 427
• Publication Date: 2015-03-27
• Subjects: Cognitive science -- Periodicals; Cognitive Science -- Periodicals; 153.05
• DOI: 10.1111/tops.12139
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1756-8757

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main" id="tops12139-abs-0001"> <title>Abstract</title> <p>Search is a prerequisite for successful performance in a broad range of tasks ranging from making decisions between consumer goods to memory retrieval. How does aging impact search processes in such disparate situations? Aging is associated with structural and neuromodulatory brain changes that underlie cognitive control processes, which in turn have been proposed as a domain‐general mechanism controlling search in external environments as well as memory. We review the aging literature to evaluate the <italic>cognitive control hypothesis</italic> that suggests that age‐related change in cognitive control underlies age differences in both external and internal search. We also consider the limits of the cognitive control hypothesis and propose additional mechanisms such as changes in strategy use and affect that may be necessary to understand how aging affects search.</p> </abstract>