Abstract
The present study tested the hypothesis of a decreasing ontogenetic trend in the rate of learning a discrimination as a function of age. A three-phase optional shift design was employed. One hundred and twenty male and female subjects from three age groups, 50-59, 60-69, and 70 years and older, were tested. The results indicated that, with advancing age, more trials were required to meet the learning criterion in the initial and shift discrimination phases. Female subjects learned the initial discrimination significantly faster than did male subjects. Although subjects aged 70 years and older were less likely than those in the younger age groups to choose a reversal shift in the test phase, they chose the reversal and extradimensional shifts at comparable rates. The finding of a reversed ontogenetic trend as a function of age is discussed in terms of both the mediation and attention theories.
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