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Cited by 425Aging and Gerontology ResearchCognitive Abilities and TestingCognitive Functions and Memory

The information-loss model: a mathematical theory of age-related cognitive slowing

Myerson, Joel, Hale, Sandra, Wagstaff, David, Poon, Leonard W., Smith, Glen A.·1990·Psychological Review
DOI 10.1037/0033-295x.97.4.475
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Abstract

A model of cognitive slowing is proposed with the following assumption: Information is lost during processing, processing occurs in discrete steps with step duration inversely related to the amount of information currently available, and the effect of aging is to increase the proportion of information lost per step. This model correctly predicts a positively accelerated relation between latencies of older and younger adults and provides a unified account of the effects of task complexity, practice, speed-accuracy tradeoffs, and fluctuations in individual performance. Strong support for the thesis that cognitive slowing is global, and not localized in specific age-sensitive components, is provided by the fact that the model accurately predicts the latencies of older adults on the basis of those of younger adults, without regard to the nature of the task, across a latency range of nearly 2 orders of magnitude.

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  • The decline of working memory in aging includes a decrease in overall processing speed, which hinders the simultaneous activation of mutually referring information elements.

    “Second, the overall processing speed decreases (Cerella, 1990;Fisk & Warr, 1996;Myerson, Hale, Wagstaff, Poon, & Smith, 1990;Salthouse 1993Salthouse , 1996)), which hinders the simultaneous activation of mutually referring information elements.”

    From Cognitive load theory and aging: effects of worked examples on training efficiency (2002) · cites this paper as Myerson et al., 1990

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Related

Authors
Myerson, J., Hale, S., Wagstaff, D., Poon, L. W., & Smith, G. A.
Affiliations
Washington University in St. Louis (US)
ORCID
Venue
Psychological Review
Publisher
American Psychological Association (APA)
Published
1990
Volume
97
Issue
4
Pages
475-487
ISSN
  • 0033-295X (ISSN-L)
  • 1939-1471
DOI
10.1037/0033-295x.97.4.475
OpenAlex
W2028164600
Cited by
425
References
50
Citations by year
2026: 3 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 9 · 2018: 8 · 2017: 11 · 2016: 7 · 2015: 13 · 2014: 4 · 2013: 12 · 2012: 7
FWCI
29.79
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Psychological Review (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health (1r03mh043098-01)
  • National Institute of Mental Health (MH43098)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology › Aging and Gerontology Research
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Cognitive Abilities and Testing
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Cognitive Functions and Memory
Keywords
cognitive aging, response latency, older adults, task complexity, practice effects, speed-accuracy trade-off
MeSH terms
Adult, Aged, Aging, Humans, Middle Aged, Models, Theoretical, Problem Solving, Reaction Time, Mental Recall

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