Leibniz Research Centre for Working Environment and Human Factors (IfADo), Ardeystraße 67, 44139, Dortmund, Germany.
Sci Rep. 2024 Mar 7;14(1):5679. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-56400-y.
Dealing with task interruptions requires the flexible use of working memory and attentional control mechanisms, which are prone to age-related changes. We investigated effects of age on dealing with task interruptions and potential advantages of anticipating an interruption using EEG and a retrospective cueing (retro-cue) paradigm. Thirty-two young (18-30 years) and 28 older (55-70 years) participants performed a visual working memory task, where they had to report the orientation of a target following a retro-cue. Within blocks of 10 trials, they were always, never, or randomly interrupted with an arithmetic task before the onset of the retro-cue. The interruption-induced decline in primary task performance was more pronounced in older participants, while only these benefited from anticipation. The EEG analysis revealed reduced theta and alpha/beta response to the retro-cue following interruptions, especially for the older participants. In both groups, anticipated interruptions were associated with increased theta and alpha/beta power prior and during the interruption, and stronger beta suppression to the retro-cue. The results indicate that interruptions impede the refocusing of attention on the task-relevant representation of the primary task, especially in older people, while anticipation facilitates preparation for the interruption task and resumption of the primary task.
处理任务中断需要灵活运用工作记忆和注意力控制机制，而这些机制容易随着年龄的增长而发生变化。我们使用脑电图和回溯提示（retro-cue）范式研究了年龄对处理任务中断的影响，以及提前预测中断可能带来的优势。32 名年轻（18-30 岁）和 28 名年长（55-70 岁）参与者完成了一项视觉工作记忆任务，他们需要在回溯提示后报告目标的方向。在 10 次试验的一组块中，他们在回溯提示出现之前总是、从不或随机地被算术任务打断。中断导致年轻参与者主要任务的表现明显下降，而只有这些参与者从预测中受益。脑电图分析显示，中断后对回溯提示的 theta 和 alpha/beta 反应减弱，尤其是年长参与者。在两个组中，预期的中断与中断前和中断期间 theta 和 alpha/beta 功率的增加以及对回溯提示的 beta 抑制增强有关。结果表明，中断会阻碍对主要任务相关表现的注意力重新集中，尤其是在老年人中，而预测则有助于为中断任务做好准备并恢复主要任务。
