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This study explored age-related changes in attentional components—selective attention, divided attention, and switching ability—using the Attentional Demands Task (AD-Task). Ninety-three healthy participants aged 18 to 70 were divided into three groups: young adults (25 f, age 21.12.47, range 19-29), middle-aged adults (20 f, age 55.73.05, range 50-60), and older adults (19 f, age 65.62.85, range 61-70).
The main aim was to assess attentional performance across age groups under single-demand and switching conditions. Cognitive health was screened using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), while sleep quality and daytime sleepiness were evaluated to control for confounding variables. The AD-Task allowed for measuring reaction times (RTs), target discrimination (d'), hit rate, and false alarms (FA) across selective and divided attention conditions.
As the age increases, a marked decline in attentional performance was observed: first, a progressive decrease in the ability to correctly discriminate stimuli, a sign of a weakening of inhibitory control, was seen (F2,90=40.9, p<.001, η²p=0.476). Selective attention appeared better than divided attention and more sensitive to task-switching (F1,90=14.174, p<.001, η²p=0.136). Divided attention, on the other hand, started to deteriorate already around the age of 50, probably due to the increased cognitive load required (F2,90=7.1790, p=0.001, η²p =0.138).
Overall, the findings suggest that aging affects attentional components differently: selective attention is more resilient but sensitive to switching, while divided attention declines earlier. The AD-Task proves effective in assessing multiple attentional functions, offering a comprehensive approach to studying cognitive aging.
