EFFECTS OF AGING ON COINCIDENCE ANTICIPATION TIMING IN FEMALES

Ten young and 10 older adult females, who were all right-eye and right -hand dominant, performed a switch-press and a hitting coincidence ant icipation timing task on a Bassin Anticipation Timing apparatus with s timulus speeds of 4, 8, and 12 mph. Level of experience with open skil ls was determined by a self-report questionnaire, and all participants were screened on six visual characteristics using the Biopter Vision Test. Unlike the young adults, older adults reported no substantial ex perience with open skills. Prior experience with open skills was found to have little effect on the different dependent variables. Nonethele ss, young females performed with less absolute and variable error than older females. Our data suggest that older females' perceptual and mo tor systems are differentially affected by manipulations of task and s timulus characteristics.