Generalized slowing is not that general in older adults: Evidence from a tracing task

Issue title: Age-Differentiated Work Systems

Guest editors: Christopher Schlick

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Sülzenbrück, Sandra^{; *} | Hegele, Mathias | Heuer, Herbert | Rinkenauer, Gerhard

Affiliations: IfADo – Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors, Dortmund, Germany | Institute of Industrial Engineering and Ergonomics, RWTH Aachen University, 52056 Aachen, Germany

Correspondence: [*] Address for correspondence: Sandra Sülzenbrück, IfADo – Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors, Ardeystrasse 67, D-44139 Dortmund, Germany. E-mail: [email protected]

Abstract: One of the fundamental concomitants of aging is generalized slowing of almost all motor and mental functions. The present study aimed to elucidate the generality of slowing across different sensorimotor tasks. Results show that although slowing can be found in many tasks, older adults perform faster in a tracing task compared to their younger counterparts. Potential explanations of these findings are discussed with respect to biological changes in the course of aging and with respect to cultural and technological developments during the last decades.

Keywords: Generalized slowing, aging workforce, tracing, motor skills, speed-accuracy tradeoff, computer use

DOI: 10.3233/OER-2010-0176

Journal: Occupational Ergonomics, vol. 9, no. 2, pp. 111-117, 2010