Variations Stratégiques et Vieillissement Patrick LEMAIRE Master 1 – EAV Novembre 2010

Age-related changes in cognitive performance AGE PERFORMANCE Negative Zero Positive

What are the underlying mechanisms? - Quantitative Factors (Proc. Speed, WM, Inhibit°) - Qualitative Factors (e.g., Cognitive Strategies )

Cognitive Strategy : Definition « Procedure or set of procedures to accomplish a high-level goal » (Lemaire & Reder, Mem&Cog, 1999, p. 365) « Set of methods to accomplish a cognitive task » (Newell & Simon, GPS-book,1972, p. 127)

STRATEGIC VARIATIONS AND COGNITIVE AGING No Strat. Variations Memory Glynn et al.,83; Rankin et al.,84; Rice & Meyer, 85; Wodd & Pratt, 87; Parkinson et al., 82; Hertzog & Dunlosky, 98 Language Cohen & Faulkner, 83; Stine, 96 Problem solv. Reason., and Decision Making Salthouse & Prill, 87; Salthouse, 87; Salthouse et al., 90; Lemaire & Arnaud, 2008 Strategic Variations Memory Cimbalo & Brink, 82; Thomas, 85; Sanders et al., 80; Verhaeghen & Marcoen, 94 Language Adams et al., 90; Reder et al., 86 Problem solv. Reason., and Decision Making Charness, 81, 82; Salthouse et al., 88; Lemaire et al., 2004; Mata et al., 2007

STRATEGIC VARIATIONS AND COGNITIVE AGING: Limits of previous works No appropriate conceptual framework What are the right questions? No appropriate methodological approach How to best investigate strategic variations?

Aspects of Strategic Changes Changes SelectionExecution Lemaire & Siegler, 95, JEP:Gen. RepertoireDistribution

Age-related differences in Strategy Repertoire Do young and older adults use the same strategies to accomplish cognitive tasks?

Strategy identification methods Direct approach Indirect approach

Direct approach: Principle Collecting as many external behavioral evidence (verbal reports, video-recordings, direct observ°) of strategies as possible

Direct approach: Example of arithmetic / Arnaud & Lemaire, 2008 (Cortex) Finger Counting Direct Retrieval

Two-digit addition problem solving: Use of 9 strategies Strategies Example (12+46) 1 - Rounding the first operand down( ) Rounding the second operand down( ) Rounding both operands down( ) + (2 + 6) 4 - Columnar retrieval(2 + 6) + ( ) 5 - Rounding the first operand up( ) Rounding the second operand up( ) Rounding both operands up( ) Borrowing units Retrieving58 Lemaire & Arnaud, 2008 (AJP)

Effect of Age on Number of Strat. * Lemaire & Arnaud, 2008 (AJP)

Indirect approach: Principle « The use of multiple strategies is inferred from the patterns of speed and accuracy that arise as a function of the factors that define the stimulus set » (Lemaire & Reder, 1997, p. 365)

Indirect Approach: Example 1 8x5 < 41 vs. 8x5< 47

RT differences -> Strategy Differences Duverne & Lemaire, 2004 (JoG:PS) Exhaustive verificationApproximate verification

Age x Problem * Duverne & Lemaire, 2004 (JoG:PS)

ERP Data YoungOlder Fixation First Second operand Small Large Second operand El Yagoubi, Lemaire, & Besson, 2005 (JoCN) 215 ms

Aspects of Strategic Changes Changes Lemaire & Siegler, 95 (JEP:Gen). RepertoireDistribution

Age and Strategy Distribution

Marseille 2

How many dots?

Numerosity estimation performance Lemaire & Lecacheur, 2007 (JoG:PS)

Numerosity estimation: Eye movements in instructed condition Benchmark Gandini, Lemaire, & Dufau (2009) Anchoring

Age effects on % use of Benchmark Gandini, Lemaire, & Dufau (2009)

Aspects of Strategic Changes Changes Execution Lemaire & Siegler, 95, JEP:Gen. RepertoireDistribution

Age effects on Strategy Execution: Numerosity Estimation Benchmark vs. Anchoring CHOICE NO-CHOICE Benchmark Anchoring Gandini, Lemaire, & Dufau (2008)

Age x Strategies (no-choice latencies) Gandini, Lemaire, & Dufau (2009)

Etude en imagerie Activations cérébrales Machine IRMf

Benchmark Strategy in Young Adults L R Insula Postcentral Gyrus

Benchmark strategy Postcentral Gyrus Retrievaing Memory representations of numerosities Insula selection of one of the potential candidates Numerical comparison tasks e.g., Chochon, Cohen, van de Moortele, & Dehaene, 1999; Dehaene, 1996 Phonological loop/articulatory processes e.g., Paulesu, et al., 1993; Venkatram, et al., 2005

Benchmark strategy in Older Adults L R Postcentral Gyrus Precentral Gyrus Inferior Parietal Lobule - Middle Gyrus - Lingual Gyrus Occipital Areas: Insula

Anchoring strategy in Young Adults L R Occipital Areas: - Middle Gyrus - Cuneus Frontal Areas: - DLPFC - Superior Gyrus Parietal Areas: - Superior lobule - Precuneus

Anchoring strategy Occipito- Parietal Axis Matching reference group of dots and remaining groups of dots Enumerating reference group of dots Precuneus Mmultiplying N groups of dots Frontal areas Enumeration processes e.g., Piazza, Mechelli, Butterworth, & Price, 2002; Piazza, Giacomini, et al., 2003 Mental imagery e.g., Awh & Jonides, 2001; Mellet et al., 2000; Zago & Tzourio-Mazoyer, 2002 Simple calculation e.g., Zago & Tzourio-Mazoyer, 2001

Anchoring strategy in Older Adults L R Frontal Area: - SMA Frontal Area: - SMA Middle Occipital Gyrus Inferior Frontal Gyrus Parietal Superior Lobule

Aspects of Strategic Changes Changes SelectionExecution Lemaire & Siegler, 95, JEP:Gen. RepertoireDistribution

Strategy selection 46 x 52 (2392) Rounding-up Rounding-Down 50x6040x50 Lemaire et al., 2004 (Psych. Aging) RU probl: 57x68 RD probl: 51x62

Selecting the best strategy * Lemaire et al., 2004 (Psych. Aging)

Summary Changes SelectionExecution Lemaire & Siegler, 95, JEP:Gen. RepertoireDistribution

Conclusions Strategy perspective offers a great window to understand cognitive aging. It is not incompatible with more quantitative approaches of cognitive aging. It helps to better describe and explain (in mechanistic terms) age-related differences and similarities It helps to address both big, general questions and very specific issues. It enables to know how people of different ages think and how (some) older adults can compensate to moderate aging effects on cognition.