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AGE AND BEHAVIOR: LEARNING AND PERFORMANCE -MOTIVATION - AUTONOMIC RESPONSIVITY

Powell, Eisdorfer, and Bogdonoff (1964) carried out a serial learning study. Blood samples were taken of the subjects prior to the presentation of the learning task, during it, and afterward, and the samples were analyzed for free fatty acids (FFA). The level of FFA is thought to reflect the level of activity of the autonomic nervous system and of the adrenal medulla. Thus, it is considered a measure of "degree of arousal." Concepts such as "degree of arousal" and "level of activation" refer to psychophysiological states of the type which energize or spur people on in an undifferentiated, overall way.
The older subjects (over 60 years) had higher levels of FFA than the younger subjects (20-48 years) throughout the experiment. Thus, the older subjects were thought to be more highly aroused than the younger ones. More important in this study, however, was what happened after the learning procedure was terminated. The younger subjects dropped in their FFA arousal levels, but the older subjects continued to rise. The overall conclusions were "that the aged individual rather than being less involved in the task (and, therefore, not paying attention), is more involved and therefore experiencing a greater degree of autonomic activation" (Powell et al., 1964). To the extent that this interpretation is correct, the continued rise in FFA levels of the older people after the experiment was terminated suggested that their highly activated states not only failed to help bring their performances to the levels of the younger adults, but also that the activated states were not always appropriate to the occasion.
Furchgott and Busemeyer (1976) did not agree with this interpretation although their data had one important aspect in common with those of Powell et al. Furchgott and Busemeyer measured heart rate and skin conductance; both can be considered indices of arousal. Three age groups were examined (23-39, 40-59, and 60-87 years) and the elderly were not seen as more aroused than the young, nor was the arousal-learning relationship different for old and young subjects. Of special interest, however: "During intertrial rest periods (of free recall) young but not old subjects showed HR (heart rate) returns to basal levels." Again, it appears that the elderly may not always be activated appropriately to the occasion.
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