Author Interviews, Cognitive Issues / 24.11.2015
Visual Processing Speed Predicts Executive Functioning
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Catherine Mewborn, B.A.
Neuropsychology and Memory Assessment Laboratory
Department of Psychology
University of Georgia
Medical Research: What is the background for this study?
Response: Vision and cognitive functioning both tend to decline as individuals age. Processing speed, or the speed at which an individual can process information, is particularly vulnerable to age-related declines. In previous studies, cognition has typically been measured using traditional paper-and-pencil tests; however, these tests can be quite complex and recruit many different abilities. We wanted to use a simpler test to assess processing speed in the hopes of tapping into the more basic abilities that underlie performance on more complex cognitive tasks. For this study, we chose a measure of visual processing speed called critical flicker fusion, or CFF. We tested how well CFF could predict cognition in both younger and older adults.
Medical Research: What are the main findings?
Response: As expected, younger adults had better visual processing speed than older adults. Interestingly, in both age groups, CFF significantly predicted performance on a test of executive functioning, which assess abilities such as problem-solving and shifting attention between different tasks.
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