Age-related differences in multiple-object tracking

Multiple-object tracking is the ability to attend (keep track of) the positions of multiple target items as they move among other items. The performance of young and older adults (M = 19 and 73 years old, respectively) was compared in two versions of a tracking task in which participants were required to monitor the positions of 1-4 moving targets in a field of 10 moving items. All participants were capable of tracking more than 1 item at once, but on average older participants tracked around 3 items at once whereas young adults tracked 4. Results suggest that there are age differences in the ability to either track or report positions of moving items. All participants reported positions of 1-4 targets in a field of 10 items with 100% accuracy when items were static.