Older adults' slowdown relative to young adults is far smaller for problems interpreted as procedurally solved than for retrieval-solved problems¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · causal r1 · q3
Currency · newest study 2018 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i? In the null SOA condition, priming-sensitive (procedural) additions were only 34-64 ms slower in older adults, whereas +0 and tie additions showed +215 ms and +110 ms age differences. → Thevenot 2018

Evidence¶

Thevenot 2018¶

Thevenot, C., Dewi, J., Bagnoud, J., Wolfer, P., Fayol, M., & Castel, C. (2018). The use of automated procedures by older adults with high arithmetic skills during addition problem solving. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED

q3 · i? · causal · r1

Authors' descriptive comparison of null-SOA solution times by problem category in the discussion of the priming experiment. "difference of only 34, 64 and 59 ms for Large, Small and +1 additions" versus +215 ms and +110 ms for +0 and tie problems; no inferential test reported.

"the categories of problems that we interpret as being processed through automated procedures because they benefit from the prior presentation of the “+” sign are solved only 52 ms slower by older than younger adults in the null SOA condition (i.e., difference of only 34, 64 and 59 ms for Large, Small and +1 additions respectively) when older adults suffer more than triple the times (+162 ms) for addition problems that we interpret as being solved by retrieval (i.e., +215 ms and +110 for +0 and tie problems, respectively)."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Older adults were slower than young adults overall on solution times, with no age difference in accuracy — related
• Bayesian analyses strongly support sign priming for small addition problems in older adults but only anecdotal support for +1 problems — related
• Sign priming effects in addition occur for large, small, and +1 problems but not for tie or +0 problems in older adults — related
• Problem type modulated solution times, with large problems slowest and +1 problems fastest in both age groups — related
• Presenting the '+' sign 150 ms before operands speeds up addition problem solving in expert older adults, replicating the effect found in young adults — related
• Older adults can think as divergently as young adults but do so at a slower rate and require more time — related
• Young adults outperformed old adults in all goal conditions, but the age difference was much smaller under nonspecific goals