Older adults and distraction

When listening to someone, or when reading, or when just trying to think, we are sometimes exposed to distractions. Should we simply ignore distractions by concentrating harder at the task in hand? What if the distraction is something important? Or what if the distraction is attention-grabbing?

Being able to focus on something while being alert to other events is a tricky balancing-act. As we age, our ability to manage an equilibrium between concentration and distraction changes.

Our research examines how older adults cope with performing an on-going task while being exposed to visual and/or auditory distraction.