ONSET and OFFSET inhibitions: effect of increase and decrease of cue luminance on manual reaction time to a visual target.

Simple reaction time (RT) to a peripheral visual target is shortened when a non-informative cue is flashed at the target location 100-150 ms before target onset (early facilitation). With longer intervals, RT to targets appearing at cue hemifield is lengthened (inhibition of return). In the present study, we investigated these effects inverting the stimulus contrast in relation to background to see how these effects are related to the onset and/or to the offset of a cue darker or brighter than background.

Aging and selective attention in arithmetic calculations.

The aim of the present work was to test the effect of aging on the capacity to perform and validate simple arithmetic calculations. Two experimental groups, eight young and eight old subjects, performed a set of three tasks (A,B,C), requiring different amounts of attentional resources. In test A, the subjects knew in advance the type of operation to be validated; in test B the subjects had to validate items of four randomly mixed operation types; in test C the subjects could use an informative cue which signalled in advance the kind of operation to be performed.

[Recall of the proper names of persons: effect of age and the modality of access].

Aging is associated with phenomena of slowing down of cognitive processes and impairment of neuropsychological performances. Elderly people also report difficulty in the retrieval of proper names. Verbal fluency (VF) tests are particularly effective for the identification of even slight mental impairments.

[Effect of age on the orientation of attention: effect of changing the interval between signal and stimulus].

The purpose of the experiment was to examine the effect of aging on spatial attention. One of two possible locations, horizontally arranged, was cued. The subject had to respond to the onset of a visual stimulus, wherever it appeared.

[Effects of age on orientation of attention].

The present experiment investigated the influence of age on the magnitude of attentional effects. Subjects were cued to attend to one of two possible stimulus locations horizontally arranged. The instructions were to respond as fast as possible to the occurrence of a visual stimulus, regardless of whether it occurred in a cued or in a non-cued location.