ABSTRACT
Strategy selection is one of the most original dimensions in conceptual framework proposed for the study of age-related differences in strategic variations. The strategy selection of young and older adults can sometimes differ and sometimes be similar. When a difference is found, older adults less often choose the best strategy for each item, and calibrate their strategy choices less effectively to task parameters. Effects of aging on strategy selection have been found in cognitive domains. The chapter focuses on examples of studies that found evidence of strategy flexibility in older adults, followed by findings showing decreasing strategy selection performance with age. It also focuses on how age-related differences in participants chose between the rounding-down strategy and rounding-up strategy varied depending on the problem to be solved and as a function of accuracy emphasis. The exact contribution of strategy selection mechanisms to age-related differences in cognitive performance remains to be established by future studies, both in general and within each domain.
