The study examined how age and contrast impact the distractor-ratio effect (DRE) during visual search tasks for both younger and older adults.
Both age groups showed similar responses in terms of reaction times and the number of fixations needed to identify the target when varying distractor ratios, but these measures were affected differently on target-absent trials.
Younger adults seemed to manage the smaller set of distractors better, while older adults displayed increased fixation numbers, possibly indicating a more cautious approach when facing lower visual signal strength.