Perceptual functions change with age, particularly motion perception. With regard to healthy aging, previous studies mostly measured motion coherence thresholds for coarse motion direction discrimination along cardinal axes of motion. Here, we investigated age-related changes in the ability to discriminate between small angular differences in motion directions, which allows for a more specific assessment of age-related decline and its underlying mechanisms. We first assessed older (>60 years) and younger (<30 years) participants' ability to discriminate coarse horizontal (left/right) and vertical (up/down) motion at 100% coherence and a stimulus duration of 400 ms. In a second step, we determined participants' motion coherence thresholds for vertical and horizontal coarse motion direction discrimination. In a third step, we used the individually determined motion coherence thresholds and tested fine motion direction discrimination for motion clockwise away from horizontal and vertical motion. Older adults performed as well as younger adults for discriminating motion away from vertical. Surprisingly, performance for discriminating motion away from horizontal was strongly decreased. Further analyses, however, showed a relationship between motion coherence thresholds for horizontal coarse motion direction discrimination and fine motion direction discrimination performance in older adults. In a control experiment, using motion coherence above threshold for all conditions, the difference in performance for horizontal and vertical fine motion direction discrimination for older adults disappeared. These results clearly contradict the notion of an overall age-related decline in motion perception, and, most importantly, highlight the importance of taking into account individual differences when assessing age-related changes in perceptual functions.


    Access

    Download


    Export, share and cite



    Title :

    Motion coherence and direction discrimination in healthy aging


    Contributors:

    Publication date :

    2017-01-01


    Remarks:

    Pilz , K S , Miller , L & Agnew , H C 2017 , ' Motion coherence and direction discrimination in healthy aging ' Journal of Vision , vol 17 , no. 1 , 31 , pp. 1-12 . DOI:10.1167/17.1.31



    Type of media :

    Article (Journal)


    Type of material :

    Electronic Resource


    Language :

    English



    Classification :

    DDC:    629



    An advantage for horizontal motion direction discrimination

    Pilz, Karin S. / Papadaki, Danai | BASE | 2019

    Free access

    DIRECTION DISCRIMINATION DEVICE AND DIRECTION DISCRIMINATION METHOD

    KAWANISHI YASUTOMO / SHIMMURA FUMITO / DEGUCHI DAISUKE et al. | European Patent Office | 2018

    Free access

    Direction discrimination device and direction discrimination method

    KAWANISHI YASUTOMO / SHIMMURA FUMITO / DEGUCHI DAISUKE et al. | European Patent Office | 2020

    Free access

    Dynamics of oculomotor direction discrimination

    Braun, Doris I. / Gegenfurtner, Karl R. | BASE | 2016

    Free access

    Laser warning receiver based on coherence discrimination

    Manasson, V.A. / Sadovnik, L.S. / Parker, J.H. | IEEE | 1996