| Abstract |
Examined the extent to which predictable, unexpected, and mixed costs associated with task shifts are subject to the effects of aging. 17 university students (aged 18-25 yrs) and 17 community residents (aged 66-81 yrs) completed a series of pure and mixed tasks. Results show that the costs of an unexpected shift were greater than those associated with a predictable task shift. Mixing costs, predictable shift costs, and unexpected shift costs all increased with age. It is concluded that the efficiency of the control processes involved in set shifting are highly sensitive to age.
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