Research Paper Volume 12, Issue 13 pp 12582—12597

Figure 1. Posner cueing task and behavioral performance. (A) A central crosshair was presented for 1500 ms (± 50 ms), followed by a cue (green bar) that appeared in either the left or right hemifield for 100 ms. Target presentation (box with opening at the top or bottom) was presented 200 ms after cue offset, in either hemifield for 2500 ms. The cue was predictive of the upcoming target location 50% of the time (i.e., “valid” condition - presented on same side as the subsequent target). Participants completed 200 trials and were instructed to respond as to whether the opening was on the bottom (right index finger) or top (right middle finger) of the box. Trials were pseudorandomized and counterbalanced in regard to target validity (valid or invalid), visual hemifield (left or right), and box opening (top or bottom). (B) Behavioral metrics are displayed on the y-axis with conditions (valid or invalid) on the x-axis. Irrespective of age, participants were faster to respond and more accurate during valid compared to invalid trials. (C) Behavioral validity effect scores (invalid – valid) were computed for accuracy and reaction time and assessed as a function of age using Pearson correlations. There was a significant correlation among reaction time validity and age, such that as age increased, the difference in the reaction time between the two conditions (i.e., valid and invalid) increased. Error bars reflect the SEM. ** p < .05.