Age-related differences in cognition: the role of distraction control.

The ability to ignore or control the processing of distracting information may underlie many age-related and individual differences in cognitive abilities. Using a large sample of adults aged 18 to 87 years, this article presents data examining the mediating role of distraction control in the relationship between age and higher order cognition. The reading with distraction task (Connelly, Hasher, & Zacks, 1991) has been used as a measure of the access function of distraction control. Results of this study suggest that distraction control, as measured by this paradigm, plays an important role in mediating age-related effects on measures of working memory and matrix reasoning.