Effects of Aging on Perceptual Organization: Efficacy of Stimulus Features

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Abstract
Perceptual organization represents an intermediate level of visual processing, subordinate to higher-order processes such as object recognition. Previous studies of perceptual organization in aging are inconclusive, varying in the cognitive capacities measured and the nature of the stimulus. To determine characteristics of perceptual organization in aging, young and elderly participants discriminated patterns organized by basic visual components: line-orientation, color, flicker, or motion. Psychophysical measurements determined organization thresholds and processing times. Age-related impairment occurred with line-orientation and flicker, but not color and motion. These results indicate that perceptual organization capacities in aging depend on the stimulus feature upon which organization is based.