Interindividual differences in attentional control profiles among younger and older adults

Abstract

This study aimed at characterizing the individual variability in three attentional control functions (shifting, inhibition, and updating), among 75 older and 75 younger adults. It also examined the intellectual and health variables associated with different cognitive profiles. Cluster analyses identified three separate attentional control profiles for both age groups, but the patterns of variability were strikingly different. Younger adults’ profiles were characterized by homogeneous performance across domains and differed only in their overall level of performance. In contrast, older adults’ profiles were characterized by uneven levels of performance across domains and inhibition stood out as critical in distinguishing between profiles. One subgroup of older adults had poor inhibition and more adverse lifestyle characteristics and appeared more cognitively vulnerable. In conclusion, subgroups of younger and older adults with different attentional control profiles can be identified, but the expression of variability changes with age as older adults’ profiles become more heterogeneous.