The influence of expertise and task factors on age differences in pilot communication

The influence of expertise and task factors on age differences in a simulat ed pilot-Air Traffic Control (ATC) communication task was examined. Young, middle-aged, and older pilots and nonpilots listened to ATC messages that d escribed a route through an airspace, during which they referred to a chart of this airspace. Participants read back each message and then answered a probe question about the route. It was found that pilots read back messages more accurately than nonpilots, and younger participants were more accurat e than older participants. Age differences were not reduced for pilots. Pil ots and younger participants also answered probes more accurately, suggesti ng that they were better able to interpret the ATC messages in terms of the chart in order to create a situation model of the flight. The findings sug gest that expertise benefits occur for adults of all ages. High levels of f lying experience among older pilots (as compared with younger pilots) helpe d to buffer age-related declines in cognitive resources, thus providing evi dence for the mediating effects of experience on age differences.