Fax +41 61 306 12 34 E-Mail karger@karger.ch www.karger.com Behavioural Science Section / Original Paper Gerontology 2010;56:421–429 DOI: 10.1159/000237875 Proactive and Coactive Interference in Age-Related Performance in a Recognition-Based Operation Span Task Melanie Zeintl Matthias Kliegel Department of Psychology, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany Working memory has been defined as a central cogni- tive resource that needs to be available to store new infor- mation and simultaneously perform on-line mental op- erations [1]. Since the concurrent storing and processing of information is necessary for the majority of complex cognitive activities in everyday life, working memory represents a key cognitive resource for many aspects of everyday cognitive functioning [2, 3]. According to Engle et al. [4], working memory can be understood as a capac- ity for controlled and sustained attention in the face of interference or distraction. In their view, working mem- ory capacity consists of a memory-free attentional con- trol system and a general short-term memory component that uses various domain-specific codes. The proposed function of working memory is best captured by complex span tasks (e.g. operation span, reading span, or counting span) that have been applied in numerous studies to measure working memory perfor- mance [5]. Usually, complex span tasks are dual tasks with alternating presentations of a recall and a processing task. Thus, working memory span tests generally consist of a storing and a processing component. For instance, the operation span task [6] requires solving simple math problems and concurrently memorizing additionally pre- sented words. From the large body of research on working memory span tasks, Conway et al. [5] conclude that these tasks are characterized by adequate reliability as well as substantial construct validity as they are able to predict performance in an ample variety of tasks requiring atten- Key Words Working memory  Inhibitory control  Recognition Abstract Background: Generally, older adults perform worse than younger adults in complex working memory span tasks. So far, it is unclear which processes mainly contribute to age- related differences in working memory span. Objective: The aim of the present study was to investigate age effects and the roles of proactive and coactive interference in a recogni- tion-based version of the operation span task. Methods: Younger and older adults performed standard versions and distracter versions of the operation span task. At retrieval, participants had to recognize target words in word lists con- taining targets as well as proactive and/or coactive inter- ference-related lures. Results: Results show that, overall, younger adults outperformed older adults in the recogni- tion of target words. Furthermore, analyses of error types indicate that, while younger adults were only affected by si- multaneously presented distracter words, older adults had difficulties with both proactive and coactive interference. Conclusion: Results suggest that age effects in complex span tasks may not be mainly due to retrieval deficits in old age. Copyright © 2009 S. Karger AG, Basel Received: September 25, 2008 Accepted: March 16, 2009 Published online: September 10, 2009 Melanie Zeintl Department of Psychology, Technische Universität Dresden Zellescher Weg 17, DE–01062 Dresden (Germany) Tel. +49 351 463 39192, Fax +49 351 463 37294 E-Mail zeintl@psychologie.tu-dresden.de © 2009 S. Karger AG, Basel 0304–324X/10/0564–0421$26.00/0 Accessible online at: www.karger.com/ger Downloaded by: Université de Genève 192.33.214.33 - 8/12/2013 3:30:18 PM