STIMULUS-RESPONSE COMPATIBILITY - EFFECTS IN A MANUAL TRACKING TASK

The purpose of this study was to determine whether there are stimulus- response (S-R) compatibility effects in a manual tracking task for mal e and female subjects of different ages. 20 healthy men and 20 healthy women in each of three different age groups (20 to 39, 40 to 59, and 60 to 79 years) participated (total N = 120). Subjects performed exten sion and flexion movements of the index finger metacarpophalangeal joi nt to track a computer-screen cursor along a target sine wave. The han d and forearm were positioned so that the finger movement was either v ertical or horizontal, and the computer monitor was positioned so that the voluntary cursor movement was either vertical or horizontal. Each subject performed four different tracking tests corresponding to the four different ensembles of hand-forearm position and monitor position . There were significant differences in tracking performance between t est ensembles in both women and men aged 60 to 79 years, and the compa tible ensembles showed the superior performance. The results suggest t hat S-R compatibility effects exist in elderly women and elderly men p erforming a finger-movement tracking task, and these effects ate consi stent with impaired information processing in elderly persons. More re search is needed on how S-R compatibility affects performance in perso ns with cerebral lesions.