Visual attention and aging

The present review of visual attentional processes and aging focuses on def initions of attention that emphasize some aspect of the control of informat ion processing (selective attention) or the processing resources needed to drive these control processes (attentional capacity). Emphasis is placed on how increased adult age affects attentional mechanisms and how these age d ifferences in attention affect overall information processing. Past researc h has emphasized that selective attention appears to be resistant to age-re lated decline. Age-related deficits in attentional capacity or processing r esources, however, have been found. A review of more recent psychological r esearch demonstrates the extension of the investigation of attention with e mphasis on further defining what is selected in selective attention, and on reexamining the processing resources or capacity issue. Finally, developme nts in cognitive neuroscience are reviewed in terms of their relevance to a ttention and aging.