TY - JOUR
T1 - Age Differences in Creating Spatial Models from Narratives
AU - Morrow, Daniel
AU - Leirer, Von
AU - Altieri, Patsy
AU - Fitzsimmons, Colleen
N1 - Funding Information:
Requests for reprints should be addressed to Daniel Morrow, Decision Systems, 220 State Street, Suite G, Los Altos, California 94022, USA. This research was supported by NIA Grants RO1 AGO8521 and RO1 AG09254.
PY - 1994/5/1
Y1 - 1994/5/1
N2 - We examined how ageing influences the process of creating spatial models from narratives. After memorising the diagram of a building layout, subjects read narratives that took place in the building. Accessibility of spatial information from the model was probed by interrupting the narrative with an object name and a direction name (e.g. table right). The subjects responded true if the object was in the named direction from the character’s current location. Probed objects were in the same room as the character (location room), in a near room, or a far room. Objects were also to the left/ right or ahead/behind the character. Older subjects needed more trials to learn the building and also answered the probes more slowly and less accurately. Both age groups answered location room probes more quickly than the other probes, suggesting that older and younger readers focused on the character when creating the model. However, age differences in response time were greater for true probes about distant objects than for location room probes, suggesting that older readers shifted focus of attention more slowly as they updated their spatial model.
AB - We examined how ageing influences the process of creating spatial models from narratives. After memorising the diagram of a building layout, subjects read narratives that took place in the building. Accessibility of spatial information from the model was probed by interrupting the narrative with an object name and a direction name (e.g. table right). The subjects responded true if the object was in the named direction from the character’s current location. Probed objects were in the same room as the character (location room), in a near room, or a far room. Objects were also to the left/ right or ahead/behind the character. Older subjects needed more trials to learn the building and also answered the probes more slowly and less accurately. Both age groups answered location room probes more quickly than the other probes, suggesting that older and younger readers focused on the character when creating the model. However, age differences in response time were greater for true probes about distant objects than for location room probes, suggesting that older readers shifted focus of attention more slowly as they updated their spatial model.
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U2 - 10.1080/01690969408402116
DO - 10.1080/01690969408402116
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84937313194
SN - 0169-0965
VL - 9
SP - 203
EP - 220
JO - Language and Cognitive Processes
JF - Language and Cognitive Processes
IS - 2
ER -