Morrow, Daniel G., Ridolfo, Heather E., Menard, William E., Sanborn, Adam N., Stine-Morrow, Elizabeth A. L., Magnor, Cliff, Herman, Larry, Teller, Thomas and Bryant, David. (2003) Environmental support promotes expertise-based mitigation of age differences on pilot communication tasks. Psychology and Aging, Vol.18 (No.2). pp. 268-284. ISSN 0882-7974

Full text not available from this repository.

Abstract

The authors investigated whether expertise is more likely to mitigate age declines when experts rely on environmental support in a pilot/Air Traffic Control (ATC) communication task. Pilots and nonpilots listened to ATC messages that described a route through an airspace, while they referred to a chart of the airspace. They read back (repeated) each message and then answered a probe question about the route. In a preliminary study, participants could take notes while listening to the messages and performing the read-back and probe tasks. In Experiment 1, opportunity to take notes was manipulated. Note taking determined when expertise mitigated age differences on the read-back task. With note taking, read-back accuracy declined with age for nonpilots but not for pilots. Without note taking, similar age-related declines occurred for pilots and nonpilots. Benefits of expertise, younger age, and note taking occurred for probe accuracy, but mitigation did not occur. The findings suggest that older adults take advantage of a domain-relevant form of environmental support (note taking) to maintain performance on some complex tasks despite typical age-related declines in cognitive ability.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology
Divisions:	Faculty of Science > Psychology
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Air traffic control, Air pilots, Note-taking, Cognition -- Age factors, Aging -- Psychological aspects, Human information processing -- Age factors, Communication -- Testing, Cognition -- Environmental aspects
Journal or Publication Title:	Psychology and Aging
Publisher:	American Psychological Association
ISSN:	0882-7974
Official Date:	2003
Volume:	Vol.18
Number:	No.2
Page Range:	pp. 268-284
Identification Number:	10.1037/0882-7974.18.2.268
Status:	Peer Reviewed
Funder:	National Institute on Aging (NIA)
Grant number:	R01 AG13936 (NIA)
URI:	http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/id/eprint/36025

Request changes or add full text files to a record

Actions (login required)

View Item