Details a problem, but seniors see 'big picture' better than young folk

[HuckleB]

Details a problem, but seniors see 'big picture' better than young folk: study

http://www.canada.com/health/story.html?id=0e050d1e-cd68-491f-99a0-9068d0638fc0

"Older people appear to be better and faster at grasping "the big picture" than their younger counterparts, giving a poke in the eye to notions that seniors are slower and less adept at tasks, a study suggests.

Using patterns of bars on a computer screen, researchers at McMaster University in Hamilton monitored how much time older and younger people needed to process information about which direction the bars were moving.

When the bars were small or low in contrast (light grey versus dark grey), younger people took less time to see the direction of motion. But when the bars were large and high in contrast (black on white) older subjects outperformed their junior counterparts.

Allison Sekuler, a professor of psychology at McMaster and a senior author of the study, said research shows young brains are great at tuning into fine visual detail, but are less able to discern larger, overall patterns.

"The young brain says, 'Well that's just background, and I don't care. I'm looking for objects out in the world,' " she said Thursday from Hamilton. "Older people actually performed better in that they needed less time to see the stimulus to perform the task than young people did."

..."


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So what does this say about those in the middle of the road?

[abandon_ship]

1. i see dead people

[Malva Zebrina]

2. I think it a matter of experience nt

[roguevalley]

3. I agree with the research. Full disclosure: I am an old person. :)

[HuckleB]

4. How old are you?

;)

:hi:

[struggle4progress]

9. sum Detales R a problum, bud eye 2 m more clear than i use 2 b.

[MrPrax]

5. So in politics...

Old folks can easily focus on the 'stimulus' regarding the gutting of Social Security, whereas young people "are less able to discern larger, overall patterns" in gutting Social Security.

The research is probably sound ;-)

[HuckleB]

6. Astute observation.

Are you middle aged?

[MrPrax]

8. LOL...

Yes...I have the advantage of seeing what has come before and what shall come to pass...

Not pretty...regardless of the research

[reprobate]

7. It has to do with the myolin (I think that's how it's spelled)

...That insulates the neurons in the brain. The more myolin coating the neurons the faster the brain works, and myolin builds up over time.

Therefor, the older we are the better the brain works.

My 64 yr old brain works better than it did at 16. At least I like to think so.