Age-related differences in dual-task visual search: are performance gains retained?

Older and young adults practiced a verbal/spatial dual task and were tested for retention performance 1 month later. Participants first practiced each component task separately to individually determine component processing time. Thus, age-related differences in single-task detection sensitivity were minimized prior to performing the dual task. Participants practiced the dual task for two 1.5-hour sessions. Following the retention interval, they were retested on the single-task components and on the dual task. Correct detection as well as signal detection parameters were examined. Older adults demonstrated decreased sensitivity as well as a more conservative response bias during acquisition. Retention performance for the single tasks replicated previous retention studies, demonstrating age-related performance declines when stimulus-specific learning is assessed. Dual-task retention capability declined for both older and young adults equally when detection accuracy, but not perceptual sensitivity, was measured. Response bias changed differentially for older and young adults across the retention interval.