Effects of aging on the useful field of view

Previous research has shown that the useful field of view (UFOV) is a usefu l tool in predicting driving ability, and the UFOV also seems to decline wi th age. The goals of the current study were first, to examine UFOV changes systematically as a function of age (15-84), and, second, to determine the effect of dividing attention on the UFOV. Our results show, that the deteri oration in the UFOV begins early in life (by 20 years, or younger). This de terioration is best conceptualized as a decrease in the efficiency with whi ch observers can extract information from a cluttered scene, rather than by shrinking of the field of view per se. The diminished efficiency among eld erly observers is exacerbated when conditions require the division of atten tion between central and peripheral tasks.