The Effects of Adult Ageing and Culture on the Tower of London Task
Planning ability is important in everyday functioning, and a key measure to assess the preparation and execution of plans is the Tower of London (ToL) task. Previous studies indicate that older adults are often less accurate than the young on the ToL and that there may be cultural differences in per...
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2021-02-01
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Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
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Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.631458/full |
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author | Louise H. Phillips Louisa Lawrie Alexandre Schaefer Cher Yi Tan Min Hooi Yong Min Hooi Yong |
author_facet | Louise H. Phillips Louisa Lawrie Alexandre Schaefer Cher Yi Tan Min Hooi Yong Min Hooi Yong |
author_sort | Louise H. Phillips |
collection | DOAJ |
description | Planning ability is important in everyday functioning, and a key measure to assess the preparation and execution of plans is the Tower of London (ToL) task. Previous studies indicate that older adults are often less accurate than the young on the ToL and that there may be cultural differences in performance on the task. However, potential interactions between age and culture have not previously been explored. In the current study we examined the effects of age on ToL performance in an Asian culture (Malaysia) and a Western culture (British) (n = 191). We also explored whether working memory, age, education, and socioeconomic status explained variance in ToL performance across these two cultures. Results indicated that age effects on ToL performance were greater in the Malaysian sample. Subsequent moderated mediation analysis revealed differences between the two cultures (British vs Malaysians), in that the age-related variance in ToL accuracy was accounted for by WM capacity at low and medium education levels only in the Malaysian sample. Demographic variables could not explain additional variance in ToL speed or accuracy. These results may reflect cultural differences in the familiarity and cognitive load of carrying out complex planning tasks. |
first_indexed | 2024-12-19T14:05:38Z |
format | Article |
id | doaj.art-8c5fce8639ad4de58a53406178ed49fe |
institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
issn | 1664-1078 |
language | English |
last_indexed | 2024-12-19T14:05:38Z |
publishDate | 2021-02-01 |
publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
record_format | Article |
series | Frontiers in Psychology |
spelling | doaj.art-8c5fce8639ad4de58a53406178ed49fe2022-12-21T20:18:20ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782021-02-011210.3389/fpsyg.2021.631458631458The Effects of Adult Ageing and Culture on the Tower of London TaskLouise H. Phillips0Louisa Lawrie1Alexandre Schaefer2Cher Yi Tan3Min Hooi Yong4Min Hooi Yong5School of Psychology, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, United KingdomSchool of Psychology, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, United KingdomDepartment of Psychology, Monash University Malaysia, Sunway City, MalaysiaDepartment of Psychology, Sunway University, Sunway City, MalaysiaDepartment of Psychology, Sunway University, Sunway City, MalaysiaAging Health and Well-being Research Centre, Sunway University, Sunway City, MalaysiaPlanning ability is important in everyday functioning, and a key measure to assess the preparation and execution of plans is the Tower of London (ToL) task. Previous studies indicate that older adults are often less accurate than the young on the ToL and that there may be cultural differences in performance on the task. However, potential interactions between age and culture have not previously been explored. In the current study we examined the effects of age on ToL performance in an Asian culture (Malaysia) and a Western culture (British) (n = 191). We also explored whether working memory, age, education, and socioeconomic status explained variance in ToL performance across these two cultures. Results indicated that age effects on ToL performance were greater in the Malaysian sample. Subsequent moderated mediation analysis revealed differences between the two cultures (British vs Malaysians), in that the age-related variance in ToL accuracy was accounted for by WM capacity at low and medium education levels only in the Malaysian sample. Demographic variables could not explain additional variance in ToL speed or accuracy. These results may reflect cultural differences in the familiarity and cognitive load of carrying out complex planning tasks.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.631458/fullplanningageingcultureworking memoryWesternAsian |
spellingShingle | Louise H. Phillips Louisa Lawrie Alexandre Schaefer Cher Yi Tan Min Hooi Yong Min Hooi Yong The Effects of Adult Ageing and Culture on the Tower of London Task Frontiers in Psychology planning ageing culture working memory Western Asian |
title | The Effects of Adult Ageing and Culture on the Tower of London Task |
title_full | The Effects of Adult Ageing and Culture on the Tower of London Task |
title_fullStr | The Effects of Adult Ageing and Culture on the Tower of London Task |
title_full_unstemmed | The Effects of Adult Ageing and Culture on the Tower of London Task |
title_short | The Effects of Adult Ageing and Culture on the Tower of London Task |
title_sort | effects of adult ageing and culture on the tower of london task |
topic | planning ageing culture working memory Western Asian |
url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.631458/full |
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