MODELS OF AGING--THE MICROSTRUCTURE OF COGNITION

衰老模型——认知的微观结构

• 批准号: 2054091
• 负责人: DONALD Lloyd FISHER
• 金额: $ 6.87万
• 依托单位: UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 1994
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1994-09-30 至 1997-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/2054091
• 关键词: aging; cognition; human old age (65+); human subject; mathematical model; mental process; model design /development; neural information processing; performance; psychological models; social behavior; stimulus /response; young adult human (21-34)

For some time now, investigators have argued that there is a general slowing of cognitive processes with advancing age. In fact, the evidence has seemed overwhelmingly to favor such an account. However, recently several investigators have argued that slowing varies across domains. Other investigators have argued that slowing varies from one task or process to the next. Thus, the model of general slowing has slowly been losing ground to the other less general models. Unfortunately, all tests to date of the various models of slowing have largely ignored the content, configuration and capacity of the network of cognitive processes which governs the performance of older and younger adults. This is unfortunate because as a number of investigators have recently argued, a critical test of the various models of slowing requires a detailed knowledge of this microstructure. Theoretically, the objective of the proposed research is to develop and then undertake the necessary critical tests of the models of general, domain-specific, task-specific and process-specific slowing. The tests rely on recent developments in response time modeling which make it possible both to identify the structure of complex cognitive networks and to estimate the durations of processes embedded in such networks. The tests will be based on laboratory tasks. Practically, the objective is to determine whether the laboratory findings generalize to the field, and in particular, whether the laboratory findings can explain differences between younger and older adults' driving skills. The tests will be based on driving tasks performed in either a fully instrumented or simulated vehicle. The same model of aging should predict slowing in these driving tasks that predicts slowing in the laboratory tasks if indeed the results from the laboratory generalize to the field. In summary, the proposed research is an attempt to use what is known about the mathematics of the microstructure of cognition to explore the age related slowing of processes in both a laboratory and applied setting. This approach can potentially yield insights into the locus of aging effects which other current methods are too gross to capture.

一段时间以来，调查人员认为有一般 随着年龄的增长，认知过程的放缓。实际上，证据 似乎绝大多数都喜欢这样一个帐户。但是，最近 一些研究人员认为，范围内的放缓变化。 其他调查人员认为，放缓的放缓与一项任务或 处理下一个。因此，一般放缓的模型已缓慢 失去了其他不太通用的模型。不幸的是，所有测试 到目前 认知过程网络的配置和能力 控制年龄较大的成年人的表现。这是不幸的 因为正如许多调查人员最近所争论的那样，一项关键测试 在各种放缓模型中，需要对此有详细的了解 微观结构。从理论上讲，拟议的研究的目的是 开发然后进行模型的必要关键测试 一般，特定于域的，特定于任务和特定过程的放慢速度。 测试依赖于最新的响应时间建模，这使得 两者都可以识别复杂的认知网络的结构 并估算嵌入此类网络中的过程的持续时间。这 测试将基于实验室任务。实际上，目标是 确定实验室发现是否概括为该领域，并在 特别是，实验室发现是否可以解释差异 在年轻人和老年人的驾驶技能之间。测试将基于 关于在完全乐器或模拟中执行的驾驶任务 车辆。相同的衰老模型应预测这些驾驶的放缓 如果确实是结果，则可以预测实验室任务放缓的任务 从实验室概括到该领域。总而言之 研究是一种尝试使用有关数学的知识 认知的微观结构，以探索与年龄相关的减慢 实验室和应用环境中的过程。这种方法可以 潜在地产生对其他衰老效应源的见解 当前的方法太粗糙而无法捕获。