ABSTRACT
Does age slow you down or does experience make you sharper? The purpose of this study was to investigate age differences in cognitive performance among a group of healthy service members and veterans. The Automated Neuropsychological Assessment Metrics (ANAM, 2007) was administered to groups of younger (< 39 years, n = 19) and older (≥ 39 years, n = 21) adults. Independent samples t-tests were employed to compare the groups’ mean scores on the tests within ANAM of code substitution-learning, mathematical processing, matching to sample, and code-substitution delayed. Results indicate a significant difference between younger and older participants for the tests of code substitution-learning, mathematical processing, and code substitution-delayed (p<. 10). Younger participants had faster mean reaction times and throughput on the code substitution tests, while older participants had faster reaction times on mathematical processing. There were no age differences on the matching to sample test (p>. 10). These findings support taking age into consideration when using the ANAM to screen for cognitive impairments such as those that occur with TBI and other injuries or illnesses. In addition, they support the notion that some cognitive functions sharpen with age while others slow down.
