Daffner K R, Scinto L F, Weintraub S, Guinessey J, Mesulam M M
Bullard Laboratory, A. Dana Research Institute, Beth Israel Hospital, Boston, Mass.
Arch Neurol. 1994 Apr;51(4):368-76. doi: 10.1001/archneur.1994.00540160062009.
To investigate changes in novelty-seeking behavior (curiosity) associated with normal aging.
Recently, we demonstrated that patients with a diagnosis of probable Alzheimer's disease display diminished novelty-seeking behavior as measured by exploratory eye movements. Nondemented, elderly individuals are often depicted in clinical descriptions as exhibiting diminished curiosity and increased disengagement from their surroundings. However, this behavior has not been systematically investigated as a function of normal aging.
University hospital center studying aging and dementia.
Fourteen active, healthy elderly subjects (mean age, 72 years) and 16 middle-aged subjects (mean age, 42 years) matched for education and estimated IQ.
Exploratory eye movements were recorded in response to visual stimuli that varied in novelty, complexity, and incongruity.
Both older and middle-aged subjects (1) spent significantly more time exploring the more irregular or incongruous of two simultaneously presented stimuli, (2) spent increasingly less time looking at a repeating visual stimulus paired with a stimulus that changed with each trial, and (3) exhibited the same degree of overall exploration of a visual scene and devoted an approximately equal amount of attention to an unexpected element within it. As a group, older subjects spent slightly less time than middle-aged subjects examining incongruous stimuli. However, 71% (10/14) of older subjects performed within 1 SD of the mean of middle-aged subjects and 21% (3/14) performed as well as the top 50% (8/16) of middle-aged controls.
The drive for curiosity, as measured by exploratory eye movements, can be well preserved in older individuals. Further research is needed to determine if the integrity of this drive can serve as a marker of "successful aging" and to identify which physiological and psychological factors influence its preservation through the life cycle.
研究与正常衰老相关的寻求新奇行为（好奇心）的变化。
最近，我们证明，经探索性眼动测量，被诊断为可能患有阿尔茨海默病的患者表现出寻求新奇行为减少。在临床描述中，未患痴呆症的老年人常被描述为好奇心减弱、与周围环境互动减少。然而，这种行为尚未作为正常衰老的一个函数进行系统研究。
研究衰老与痴呆症的大学医院中心。
14名活跃、健康的老年受试者（平均年龄72岁）和16名在教育程度和估计智商方面相匹配的中年受试者（平均年龄42岁）。
记录对在新奇性、复杂性和不一致性方面存在差异的视觉刺激做出反应时的探索性眼动。
老年和中年受试者均（1）在探索同时呈现的两个刺激中更不规则或不一致的刺激时花费的时间显著更多，（2）在观看与每次试验都变化的刺激配对的重复视觉刺激时花费的时间越来越少，（3）对视觉场景进行的总体探索程度相同，并对其中的意外元素投入大致相等的注意力。作为一个群体，老年受试者检查不一致刺激所花时间略少于中年受试者。然而，71%（10/14）的老年受试者的表现处于中年受试者均值的1个标准差范围内，21%（3/14）的老年受试者表现与中年对照组前50%（8/16）的受试者一样好。
通过探索性眼动测量的好奇心驱动力在老年人中可以得到很好的保留。需要进一步研究以确定这种驱动力的完整性是否可作为“成功衰老”的一个标志，并确定哪些生理和心理因素在整个生命周期中影响其保留。
