Age differences in strategic behavior during a computation-based skill acquisition task.

Full Abstract

The authors evaluated mechanistic and metacognitive accounts of age differences in strategy transitions during skill acquisition. Old and young participants were trained on a task involving a shift from performing a novel arithmetic algorithm to responding via associative recognition of equation-solution pairings. The strategy shift was manipulated by task instructions that either (a) equally focused on speed and accuracy, (b) encouraged retrieval use as a method toward fast responding, or (c) offered monetary incentives for fast retrieval-based performance. Monetary incentives produced a more rapid shift to retrieval relative to standard instructions; older adults showed a greater incentives effect on retrieval use than younger adults. Monetary incentives encouraged retrieval use and response time improvements despite accuracy costs (a speed-accuracy tradeoff). The pattern of results suggested a role of metacognitive and volitional factors in retrieval shift, indicating that an associative learning deficit cannot fully account for older adults' delayed strategy shift. (c) 2009 APA, all rights reserved.

Author information

Author/s: Touron, Dayna R (DR); Hertzog, Christopher (C);

Affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC 27402-6170, USA. d_touron(-atsign-)uncg.edu

Grants: R01 AG024485 (Agency:NIA NIH HHS)

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

Journal: Psychology and aging (Psychol Aging), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2009-Sep; vol 24 (issue 3) : pp 574-85

Dates: Created 2009/09/10; Completed 2009/10/13;

PMID: 19739913, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 10/13/2009, IMS Date: )

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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