DOT/FAA/AM-95/7

Office of Aviation Medicine

Washington, D.C. 20591

Some Performance Effects of

Age and Low Blood Alcohol

Levels on a Computerized

Nenropsychological Test

David J. Schroeder

Howard C. Harris, Jr.

William E. Collins

Thomas E. Nesthus

Civil Aeromedical Institute

Federal Aviation Administration

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73125

19950320 122

February 1995

DTIC

ELECTE

MAR 211995

G

Final Report

This document is available to the public

through the National Technical Information

Service, Springfield, Virginia 22161.

Ö

U.S. Department mc QP&HZZ nssmmm I

of Transportation

Federal Aviation

Administration
NOTICE

This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of

the U.S. Department of Transportation in the interest of

information exchange. The United States Government

assumes no liability for the contents or use thereof.
Technical Report Documentation Page

1. Report No.

DOT/FAA/AM-95/7

2. Government Accession No. 3. Recipient's Catalog No.

4. Title and Subtitle

Some Performance Effects of Age and Low Blood Alcohol Levels

on a Computerized Neuropsychological Test

5. Report Date

February 1995

6. Performing Organization Code

7. Author(s) 8. Performing Organization Report No.

D.J. Schroeder, H.C. Harris, Jr., W.E. Collins, and T.E. Nesthus

9. Performing Organization Name and Address

FAA Civil Aeromedical Institute

P.O. Box 25082

Oklahoma City, OK 73125

Accesion For

NTIS CRA&I

DTIC TAB

Unannounced

Justification—

D

10. Work Unit No. (TRAIS)

11. Contract or Grant No.

12. Sponsoring Agency name and Address

Office of Aviation Medicine

Federal Aviation Administration

800 Independence Avenue, S.W.

Washington, DC 20591

13. Type of Report and Period Covered

By

Distribution/

Availability Codes

Dist

Avail and/or

Special

14. Sponsoring Agency Code

15. Supplemental Notes

8±

16. Abstract

COGSCREEN is a computerized test battery developed for the Federal Aviation Administration as an airman

neuropsychological screening instrument for cognitive functioning. This study explored a multifaceted application of the

sensitivity of the battery to potential differences in performance capabilities, current civil aviation interest in the performance

effects of low levels of blood alcohol, and the potential significance of age on cognitive performance. Nine of 11 basic

COGSCREEN tests were used with 60 subjects divided into three age groups, 27-32, 42-47, and 57-62 years. Twelve subjects

within each age category (N=36) comprised an alcohol group; 8 subjects within each age category (N=24) comprised a control

group. Subjects were given four 30-minute sessions of training on the task battery during one afternoon and participated in

experimental sessions on the next afternoon. Experimental sessions comprised a pre-drinking (baseline) and three post-drinking

sessions targeted to breath alcohol (BrAC) levels of 0.04, 0.027, and 0.014% for the alcohol group; each control subject received a

placebo. The results yielded statistically significant age effects on 20 of 25 measures of performance across the 9 tasks for the predrinking sessions favoring the younger age group, using the entire subject population (N=60). An analysis using only the control

subjects found significant age effects on 18 of the 25 measures of performance on both the baseline and the post-baseline sessions;

whereas, the analysis of the alcohol subjects (N=36) found significant age differences on 15 of 25 scores for the pre-drinking

session and only 13, 11, and 10 of 25 on the post-drinking sessions respectively. Results of the analyses for age and alcohol session

effects revealed statistically significant interactions for 3 measures: mean reaction time of visual comparisons during dual task,

and the symbol -di gi t del ayed recal 1 task, as wel 1 as the number of correct symbol -di gi t pai ri ngs of the del ayed recal 1 task. These

data indicate that the COGSCREEN test battery is sensitive to decremental effects on information processing time and cognitive

reductions associated with aging. Generally, the results of this study do not support a typical alcohol effect. The simple effects

tests yielded results that failed to show sessional patterns consistent with BrAC levels. However, the alcohol sessions may have

reduced differences between the age groups.

17. Keywords

Alcohol Age Performance

Memory Neuropsychological Test

Computerized Test Battery

18. Distribution Statement

Document is available to the public through the

National Technical Information Service,

Springfield, Virginia 22161.

19. Security Classif. (of this report)

Unclassified

20. Security Classif. (of this page)

Unclassified

21. No. of Pages

38

22. Price

Form DOT F 1700.7 (8-72) Reproduction of completed page authorized
SOME PERFORMANCE EFFECTS OF AGE AND LOW BLOOD

ALCOHOL LEVELS ON A COMPUTERIZED

NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL TEST

INTRODUCTION

Age

A large body of literature associates quantitative

changes in information processing speed with the

cognitive reductions attributed to aging. This literature indicates thatthe perceived cognitive reduction is

perhaps more an issue of processing speed rather than

an actual cognitive deficit (Cerella, 1985, 1990; Hale,

Myerson, &Wagstaff, 1987; Myerson, Hale Wagstaff,

Poon,&Smith, 1990;Salthouse, 1985,1991; Myerson

&C Hale, 1993). Some of the differences reported in

simple reaction times from one task to another are

accounted for by the nature ofthe task; however, in all

psychomotor functioning tasks, age differences are

apparent to some extent. This tendency is not restricted to a particular sensory modality or to a specific

psychomotor response. (Davies, Taylor, & Dorn,

1992).

Cerella (1985) reviewed 35 studies on the decline

in cognitive functioning in older age, comparing

subjects 60 years and older with those below 60 years

of age. His meta analysis demonstrated a slowing of

sensory-motor processes, but found that it was less

severe than the slowing of higher order processes. In a

recent study, Salthouse (1991) demonstrated that,

even though some differences in cognitive performance may be due to decreases in working memory,

many age differences are seen largely due to reductions in the speed to carry out simple elementary

processing operations. This contention was further

supported by Hale, Lima, and Myerson (1991) in

theirstudy showing that older adults evidenced slower

choice reaction times than younger adults.

Additionally, Lima, Hale, and Myerson (1991)

reported that as task complexity increased so did the

reaction times of older adults. Older adults were

found to be slower than younger adults when performing non-lexical tasks, and the decrement doubled

on lexical tasks.

Birren (1974) attributed mental processing time

decrements to a basic neural slowing in the central

brain mechanism, which results in a slowing ofcertain

mental processes. Spiruduso and Clifford (1978) found

an exception to this generalization, in that physically

active older men (age 50-70) had both faster reaction

times than their age cohorts, who were sedentary, and

reaction times that were comparable to, or better

than, those of sedentary college students in their

twenties. As well, physical fitness training of older

adults has produced improved psychomotor reaction

times (Spiruduso & MacRae, 1990). These studies

support the contention made by Birren (1974) that

the slowing in mental processing is directly proportional to increases in blood pressure, regardless of age.

That is, people with higher blood pressure tend to

respond slower than those with lower blood pressure.

Alcohol

Although few studies in the alcohol literature have

included an age variable in their research designs,

alcohol has been demonstrated to increase the performance decrements of older aged subjects in our laboratory (Collins & Mertens, 1991). Other studies have

also indicated that alcohol has a more profound effect

on older individuals (Linnoila, Erwin, Ramm, and

Cleveland, 1980; Morrow, Leirer, and Yesavage, 1990).

Collins and Mertens (1991) demonstrated an

age by alcohol interactive effect in their study of

two groups of male subjects, ages 30-39 and 60-69

years old using a multi-task instrument. Subjects

attained mean peak blood alcohol concentrations

(BACs) of .088%. Older age subjects performed

more poorly under alcohol conditions than did the

younger age group on all but one task presented.

They also exhibited more performance decrements

under high work load demand than did the younger

subjects.
In a study comparing men, all light to moderate

drinkers, of age 25 to 30 with those 35 to 40 years old,

at BACs of.05, .08, and .12%, Linnoila et al. (1980)

demonstrated significant age and alcohol effects but

no significant age by alcohol interaction (p< .057).

With only 10 subjects per group they believed the

study lacked sufficient power to demonstrate a significant interaction. Since their age by alcohol interaction

trend was strong (p< .057), t-tests were performed

between the two groups and yielded a significant

difference in performance at placebo, .05, and .08%

BACs. They concluded that "age and alcohol have a

deleterious synergistic effect on tracking performance"

(p.494).

Morrow et al. (1990) tested non alcoholic social

drinking male pilots to determine if age and alcohol

would produce significant impairment differences

between older subjects (mean age 42.1) and younger

subjects (mean age 25.3) at .04 and .10% BAC,

during simulator flights. The results of that study

indicated that some aspects of performance (e.g.,

heading errors) did not appear to be significantly

impacted by alcohol; however, there was an increase

in altitude errors and in a combined-variable summary score for performance errors. These differences

were more prominent for older subjects. In a later

study, Morrow, Yesavage, Leirier, Dolhert, Taylor,

and Tinkenberg (1993) failed to replicate the age

related differences in performance.

Of particular interest were the effects oflow doses

of alcohol and their interaction with age. The eighthour "bottle to throttle" rule has long governed behavior of the general aviation pilot with respect to

alcohol consumption and flying. In 1985, Part 91 of

the Federal Air Regulations (FAR) was modified to

include a rule that no one could act or attempt to act

as an air crew member with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.04% or higher. A year later, the regulation

was modified to include an "implied consent" provision, under which the crew member is required to

submit to an alcohol test when requested by a law

enforcement official. One possible shortcoming of

this regulation is that it may imply to some pilots that

it is safe to fly with a BAC that is not higher than

0.04%. Despite the existence of these regulations, a

recent postmortem inquiry found that 9.8% of general aviation fatal accidents during 1993 involved

pilots with a BAC of 0.04% or higher (personal

communication with Dr. Dennis V. Canfield, Toxicology and Accident Research Laboratory ofthe Civil

Aeromedical Institute, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma).

The National Transportation Safety Board, in their

review of the accident statistics, "...believes that the

presence of any alcohol in a pilot's blood jeopardizes

safety" (p. 2, in Ross, 1988). These observations and

conclusions raise a number of questions concerning

the effects oflow levels of alcohol on performance in

flight and the potential efficacy ofthe existing regulation.

In a review of the literature concerning the effects

ofalcohol on driving-related behavior Moskowitz and

Robinson (1988), report that behavioral skills impairment was observed in 158 out of the 177 studies. Of

those studies, 35 reported that impairment was detected at BACs of 0.04% or less. After grouping the

studies into nine behavioral skills categories (i.e.,

reaction time, tracking, concentrated attention, divided attention, information processing, visual functions, perception, psychomotor skills, and driving)

the authors concluded that impairment would first be

noted on divided attention tasks and then on tracking

performance. Vigilance appeared to be least likely to

be affected by low to moderate levels of alcohol. An

updated review of the literature (Holloway, 1994)

provides additional support to those conclusions.

Billings, Wick, Gerke, and Chase (1972) were the

first to determine the effects of alcohol on pilot

performance during an actual flight in a Cessna 172.

They demonstrated that when pilots flew under the

influence of a BAC of0.04%, a significant increase in

"major" procedural errors was found. Other aspects of

pilot performance did not show any significant performance decrements. At aboutthe same time, Gilson,

Schroeder, Collins, and Guedry (1971) found that

performance on a localizer/glide slope tracking task,

administered during angular motion, resulted in a

significant performance decrement at an average BAC

as low as 0.027%, under the lower of two levels of

instrument illumination. Ross and Mundt (1986)

assessed the effects of alcohol (0.04% BAC) on the

simulator performance of pilots and non-pilots during straight and level flight and during an unusual
attitude flight segment where attention was diverted

by other tasks. Alcohol significantly impaired performance on some tasks and this impairment was most

evident in recovery from unusual attitudes.

In a recent study using four air carrier crew members, Billings, Demosthenes, White, and Ohara (1991)

found that their classification of "serious" errors, but

not the overall number of errors, increased significantly at a BAC of0.025% when compared to baseline.

However, at the 0.05% BAC level, both the serious

errors and the overall number of errors were below

those obtained at the 0.025% BAC level. Most recently, Ross, Yeazel, and Chau (1992), using several

different simulator profiles, found that low BACs did

affect some aspects of pilot performance. The effects

were observed most frequently under the heaviest

workload conditions. They also reported that, while

subjects reported mental and physical effects of alcohol, they were still able to carry out a majority ofthe

flight tasks without significant alcohol-related impairment. As mentioned earlier, Morrow et al. (1990)

also assessed the effects oflow BACs on pilot performance during simulator flights and found that some

aspects of performance did not appear to be significantly impacted, but there was an increase in altitude

errors and in the combined-variable summary scores.

It is understood from this brief review of the

alcohol literature that the tasks most often affected by

alcohol ingestion require, in part, the component

abilities ofdivided attention and multiple tasking. As

the first of a series ofinvestigations into the effects of

low levels of alcohol, simplified cognitive tests were

selected for this study as representing some of the

basic parameters of performance in an operational

aviation environment. Several tests comprising the

recently developed COGSCREEN Battery (Horst &

Kay, 1991a; 1991b; Kane & Kay, 1992) possess these

qualities. During the development ofthis test battery

for clinical purposes, two ofseveral design goals were

"...comprehensiveness with respect to range of cognitive functions assessed..." and the "...inclusion of

tasks assessing cognitive abilities required for aviation

safety..." (Kane and Kay, 1992, p.55). Hence, the

component measures ofdivided and shifting attention, and combined tracking were of particular

interest.

Previous findings illustrate that, on selected tasks,

both age and alcohol can significantly impair performance. However, the potential interaction of those

two factors is less clearly understood. This study was,

therefore, designed to determine the effects ofage and

interactive effects of age and alcohol on cognitive

functioning. Further, because a study by Obitz,

Rhodes, and Creel (1977) indicated that a high level

of subject attention (and perhaps motivation) could

be maintained with monetary incentives, and that

incentives could affect task performance even under

alcohol conditions, an incentive condition was also

included in this study.

METHOD

Subjects. A total of 61 men and 11 women were

selected for this study- a gender ratio approximating

that present in the general aviation pilot community.

All subjects were screened with the Cahalan, Cisin,

and Crossley (1967) Quality-Frequency-Variability

Index to ensure that their drinking patterns conformed to that of "moderate" drinkers. Subjects were

also screened to confirm that they were not taking

drugs (over-the-counter, prescribed, or illicit) before

or during the experiment. They were also instructed

not to consume any alcoholic beverages (including

beer and wine) on the day prior to participating in the

experiment or during the test days.

Forty-eight subjects were offered "bonus" money,

in addition to the sum that they were earning by

participating in the study, as an incentive to maintaining a high level of performance. Each was offered a

monetary reward of $8.00 per session if his/her performance on the pre-drinking session and the three

post-drinking sessions exceeded that obtained in the

last training session (held the previous day) on at least

five of the measures that were being examined.

Table 1 shows the number ofsubjects selected for

each condition and group. Three experimental alcohol/incentive groups comprised 12 subjects each in 3

age categories (27-32, 42-47, and 57-62 years). The

mean age for each group was 29.8, 43.5, and 58.8

years old, respectively. Four subjects in each age category comprised the control/incentive groups (ingesting

the placebo drink mixture). The alcohol/non-incentive
Table 1. The number ofsubjects assigned to each experimental condition by age group.

CONDITION

ALCOHOL/INCENTIVE

CONTROL/INCENTIVE

ALCOHOL/NON-INCENTIVE

CONTROL/NON-INCENTIVE

AGE GROUP

YOUNGER MIDDLE OLDER

12 12 12

4 4 4

4

4

4

4

4

4

Total

Total

36

12

12

11

72

and the control/non-incentive groups were comprised

of four subjects in each age category. The control

group's mean age was 44.1. One female subject was

assigned to each conditional group, except for the

older, alcohol/non-incentive group.

Cognitive Tests. The COGSCREEN test battery

was developed by the Advanced Resource Development Corporation (ARD) and the Georgetown University School of Medicine in response to an FAA

request for an automated test battery to detect subtle

clinical changes in the cognitive function of pilots.

The battery runs on a standard IBM PC-AT or compatible, under the DOS operating system, and uses a

light pen as the primary input device for all tests

except tracking, which uses the arrow keys on the

standard keyboard (Horst & Kay, 1991a; 1991b).

Nine ofthe tests from the COGSCREEN test battery

were selected for this study. The tests were always

presented in the same order. Brief descriptions ofthe

nine tests are in Appendix A. A list of the variables

measured and the types ofdata collected for each test

are shown in Table 2.

Breath Alcohol Measurements. Breath Alcohol

(BrAC) measurements provide rapid, inexpensive,

and reliable assessment of an individual's alcohol

level. BrACs are measured in terms of grams per 210

liters of air and provide readings that the legal and

scientific communities consider representative of

measures reported for blood alcohol concentration

(BAC). BrACs were measured in the laboratory using

a CMI, Inc. Intoxilyzer 5000, which measures a breath

sample and reports its corresponding BrAC within 90

seconds.

Alcohol Condition. Subjects were instructed to

pace their drinking so that they would consume one

drink every seven and one half minutes. Each subject

in the alcohol condition was given 1.62 milliliters

(ml) of 80 proof vodka per kilogram of body weight

(.505 g/kg), in two drinks mixed with orange juice

and two ounces of crushed ice. This amount was

derived by multiplying the Moskowitz, Burns, and

Williams (1985) formula by 1.15, after adjusting for

using 80 proofvodka. There were a few subjects who

did not reach the desired level using this formula, in

which case they were given a "booster" drink of 0.034

ml per kg of body weight (.011 g/kg)- a modification

of the Lentz and Rundell (1976) formula, corrected

for using 80 proof instead of 95% alcohol content.

Control (Placebo) Condition. In the control condition (four persons in each age category), subjects

were given two drinks of orange juice and crushed ice

with 5 ml of vodka floating at the top of each drink.

As such, subjects could detect the odor and perhaps a

slight taste of the vodka without ingesting enough

alcohol to raise BrACs above the Intoxilyzer's "noise"

level

PROCEDURE

Four experimental sessions were conducted during

the afternoon on each oftwo consecutive days. On the

first day, subjects were given a briefexplanation ofthe

purpose of the study, followed by a general overview

of the computer tests involved. They then read and

signed a consent form, were weighed, given a

breathalyzer test, and participated in an initial
Table 2. CogScreen test variables and performance measures— mean reaction time (MRT),

number (#) correct, and average absolute error (AAE) listed by test.

TEST

BÄCKWARD

DIGIT SPAN

VISUAL SEQUENCE

COMPARISON

SYMBOL-DIGIT

CODING

SYMBOL-DIGIT

IMMEDIATE RECALL

SYMBOL-DIGIT

DELAYED RECALL

MATCHING TO

SAMPLE

DIVIDED

ATTENTION

SHIFTING

ATTENTION

DUAL TASKING

coordination, visual

TEST

VARIABLES

PERFORMANCE

MEASURE

attention, short

term memory,

verbal sequential processing

# Correct

working memory,

attention,

sequencing ability

# Correct

MRT

working memory,

attention, verbal

sequencing ability

# Correct

MRT

short term

memory recall

# Correct

MRT

long term

memory recall

# Correct

MRT

visual short term

memory, attention

# Correct

MRT

divided attention,

visual motor

ability, working

memory

attention, visual

discrimination,

concept formation,

rules application

fine motor speed &

# Previous Numbers

spatial, verbalsequential processing,

working memory,

divided attention

Single Task # Correct

MRT

Dual Task # Correct

MRT

# Premature Responses

# Correct

MRT

# Lost Rules

Tracking Error

Correct

MRT

Dual Task # Correct

MRT

AAE
computer testing session with detailed instructions.

The initial session was a self-paced practice session

that ran from 30 to 45 minutes in length. Subjects

were allowed to ask questions during and following

the initial session, but proceeded on their own after

that session. The subsequent computerized test sessions, which did not include detailed instructions,

were also self-paced, and took approximately 30 minutes each to complete. Each of the four sessions

conducted on Day 1 was followed by a 15-minute

break, during which subjects could read magazines,

watch television, or just relax quietly.

All responses to the tests were made through touching the CRT screen with a signal light pen, with the

exception of the tracking task, which involved using

the right and left arrow keys on the keyboard. Auditory (error) feedback occurred during the last three

tests. Data were verified after each computer session

to assess learning, check the programs, and determine

if the incentive subjects were to receive additional

"bonus" money.

Following the fourth session, subjects were instructed to return the next day at the same time. They

were to eat a moderately sized lunch approximately 30

minutes prior to their arrival. They were also reminded not to consume any alcoholic beverages or

medications during that evening.

On the second day, subjects took a baseline breathalyzer test upon arrival to assure their 0.00 BrAC status

and then completed the first (baseline) computerized

test session. After the baseline session, subjects were

given 15 minutes to consume each of two drinks.

Since blood alcohol levels are known to drop at the

rate of approximately 0.004 every 15 minutes

(Dubowski, 1985), and since the computer sessions

were approximately 30 minutes in length, subject

BrACs going into each testing session were 0.004

higher than the experimentally targeted BrACs of

0.04, 0.027, and 0.0135% in an attempt to have the

target value be the average of each session.

Fifteen minutes after the second drink, the

breathalyzer tests were resumed until the subjects had

reached their BrAC peaks, and had then dropped to

0.044% BrAC on the descending limb oftheir blood

alcohol curves. The first of three post-drinking test

sessions was then conducted, after which a breathalyzer

measure was obtained to permit the calculation of

average BrAC of each subject during that test session.

Breathalyzer tests continued until 0.031 was reached,

and the second post-drinking session was conducted,

again followed by breathalyzer tests until 0.018 was

reached, when the subjects were given the final postdrinking session. After the final post-drinking test

session, BrACs were determined periodically until a

0.00 level was reached. Subjects were allowed to leave

the testing site shortly thereafter.

Design and Analysis. Two designs were used in

this study. Control group subjects (N=24) in the three

age groups were compared on the baseline session and

all post-baseline sessions, while the Alcohol subjects

(N=36) in the three age groups were compared on the

baseline session and all alcohol condition to assess the

effects ofage on performance. Then, each ofthe three

age groups of alcohol subjects was compared across

the (pre-drinking) baseline session and three alcohol

conditions to the mixed age control group (ingesting

a placebo mixture throughout), to assess the effects of

blood alcohol levels.

RESULTS

Prior to analysis, all measures were examined

through various SPSS programs for accuracy of data

entry, missing values, and fit between data distribution and the assumptions of multivariate analysis.

Missing values were replaced with cell means according to acceptable statistical procedures (Tabachnick

& Fidell, 1989). Outliers, those scores falling three

standard deviations above or below the mean, occurred less than 1% ofthe time and were also replaced

with cell means. No casewise deletion of scores was

necessary after these procedures.

The incentive vs. non-incentive condition comparisons showed no significant differences between

groups. A decision was made to pool data. However,

during data acquisition, several computer failures

occurred with the non-incentive alcohol group.

Though these subjects were rerun at the time of the

failures, their data were excluded from the overall

analysis, obviating the pooling of data across alcohol

groups; however, data from the control/non-incentive group were combined with the control/incentive
Table 3. Group means and standard deviations for 25 measures collected on 10 tests during

baseline (pre-drinking) condition. (MRT= Mean Reaction Time.)

TEST Age groups

Measure YOUNGER MIDDLE OLDER

Backward Digit Span

Number Correct M 8.40 8.10 6.60

SD 2.76 3.01 3.05

Visual Comparison

Number Correct M 19.64 19.75 19.45

SD .66 .44 .60

MRT M 1788.68 2373.16 2913.14

SD 500.76 799.08 624.28

Visual Comparison with dual tasking

Number Correct M 16.35 18.71 18.22

SD 3.99 3.26 3.61

MRT M 509.17 594.76 832.78

SD 129.65 189.12 264.74

Premature M 2.20 2.19 1.78

centerings SD 2.12 1.66 1.33

Symbol Digit Coding

Number Correct M 73.91 62.25 46.10

SD 16.00 14.61 13.33

MRT M 1203.15 1444.35 2011.01

SD 233.03 352.72 706.65

Symbol digit coding: Immediate recall

Number Correct M 5.94 5.45 5.20

SD .23 .39 1.06

MRT M 1770.82 2634.90 3659.00

SD 694.22 1396.88 1654.27

Matching to Sample

Number Correct M 19.15 18.90 17.71

SD 1.08 1.07 1.43

MRT M 1444.05 1727.02 2053.04

SD 245.01 333.95 366.56

Divided Attention: Visual Comparison

Number Correct M 18.80 18.40 17.85

SD .70 1.27 1.04

MRT M 1912.04 2447.95 2518.89

SD 615.64 621.57 577.07

Symbol Digit Delay Recall

Number Correct M 5.84 5.68 4.85

SD .52 .65 1.27

MRT M 1801.07 2552.19 4813.60

SD 681.79 1196.92 2061.48

Shifting Attention

Number Correct M 49.15 39.85 36.45

SD 2.51 12.67 13.06

MRT M 640.67 894.59 1065.50

SD 133.38 296.08 475.89

Lost Rule M 1.45 3.15 2.85

SD 1.15 2.39 2.08

7
Table 3 (Con't). Group means and standard deviations for 25 measures collected on 10 tests

during baseline (pre-drinking) condition. (MRT= Mean Reaction Time.)

TEST Age groups

Measure YOUNGER MIDDLE OLDER

Single Task

Tracking Alone

Ave. Absolute Error M 14.81 15.09 22.80

O

SD 12.70 12.88 19.89

Previous Numbers Alone

Number Correct M 39.85 33.65 29.85

SD 6.02 5.43 6.75

MRT M 384.56 583.63 629.34

SD 218.15 190.76 171.12

Dual Task: Tracking with Previous Number Recognition

Tracking

Ave. Absolute ErrorM 38.63 56.00 77.91

o

SD 23.79 28.08 19.16

Previous Number Recogn tion

Number Correct M 32.30 25.95 20.80

SD 8.27 6.37 6.49

MRT M 561.35 757.22 876.68

SD 278.04 208.88 212.58

group. As a result, a total of 60 cases was used in the

final overall analysis (36 alcohol subjects and 24

control subjects).

Age Differences. Three categories ofage—younger,

middle, and older with 20 subjects in each group were

compared in a multivariate analysis of variance

(MANOVA) with SPSS for the 25 measures listed in

Table 2. The results of the MANOVA yielded a

significant difference on 20 of the 25 baseline measures. The means and standard deviations for all 25

measures are listed in Table 3, and a summary ofthe

MANOVA is presented in Table 4.

Posthoc tests using Tukey's Honestly Significant

Differences (HSD) were performed on the 20 significant measures identified from the MANOVA. Results

from the HSD tests are presented in Table 5.

The HSD results show that of the 20 measures

identified as significant by the MANOVA, significant

mean differences (p. <.05) were found on all baseline

measures between the younger and older age groups,

with the younger group means being lower on MRT

and higher on number correct. The mean number of

lost rules on the shifting attention task was also lower

for the younger age group. The means ofthe younger
Table 4. MANOVA results grouped by test measures at the baseline session for all subjects.

(MRT= Mean Reaction Time.)

Test

Measure MS Error

Backward Digit Span

Number Correct 8.66

Visual Comparison

Number Correct .34

MRT 426335.23

Visual Comparison with Dual Tasking

Number Correct 12.42

MRT 40886.57

Premature Centerings 3.01

Symbol Digit Coding

Number Correct 215.89

MRT 226023.08

Symbol Digit Immediate Recall

Number Correct .65

MRT 1723273.96

Matching to Sample

Number Correct 1.46

MRT 101974.06

Divided Attention: Visual Comparison

Number Correct 1.06

MRT 366126.84

Symbol Digit Delay Recall

Number Correct .76

MRT 2049049.92

Shifting Attention

Number Correct 112.49

MRT 110639.77

LostRule 3.79

Single Task

Tracking Alone

Avg. Absolute Error 240.87

Previous Numbers Alone

Number Correct 37.12

MRT 37753.06

Dual Task: Tracking with Previous Number Recognition

Tracking

Avg. Absolute Error 573.85

Previous Number Recognition

Number Correct 50.36

MRT 55376.73

(d.f.=2,57)

F

2.15

1.37

14.84

2.51

13.75

.39

18.07

15.10

4.32

10.37

8.08

18.21

4.28

6.01

7.33

24.00

7.68

8.25

4.34

1.71

13.73

.90

13.50

13.17

9.15

ß

.126

.261

<.001

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<.001

.678

<.001

<.001

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<.001

.001

<.001

.018

.004

.001

<.001

.001

.001

.018

.190

<.001

<.001

<.001

<.001

<.001
Table 5. Significant posthoc comparisons results, using Tukey's HSD, for all significant measures

listed by test and age group — Younger (Y), Middle (M), and Older (O).

(MRT= Mean Reaction Time.)

Test AGE

Measure Younger Middle

Visual Comparison

MRT MO OY

Visual Comparison with Dual Tasking

MRT O O

Symbol Digit Coding

Number Correct MO OY

MRT O O

Symbol Digit Immediate Recall

Number Correct O Y

MRT MO OY

Matching to Sample

Number Correct O O

MRT MO OY

Divided Attention: Visual Comparison

Number Correct O Y

MRT MO OY

Symbol Digit Delay Recall

Number Correct O O

MRT O O

Shifting Attention

Number Correct MO Y

MRT MO Y

Lost Rule MO Y

Single Task

Previous Number Recognition Alone

Number Correct MO Y

MRT MO Y

Dual Task: Tracking with Previous Number Recognition

Tracking

Avg. Absolute Error MO OY

Previous Number Recognition

Number Correct MO OY

MRT MO OY

Older

MY

MY

MY

MY

MY

MY

MY

MY

MY

MY

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

MY

MY

MY

10
age group were better on 15 of the 25 measures when

compared to the middle age group. The means for 13

measures for the middle age group were lower on

MRT and higher on number correct when compared

with the older age group.

Stability of Age Differences Across Sessions A

MANOVA, using only the 36 alcohol subjects, was

performed, contrasting the baseline and all post-drinking sessions across the three age groups to test for the

stability of age effects across the (alcohol) sessions. As

summarized in Table 6, the MANOVA yielded significant age effects on 15 of the 25 baseline and 13

(.040%), 11(.027%) and 10 (.014%) ofthe 25 on the

alcohol sessions measures. Of the seven significant

MRT measures at the baseline session, three remained

significant on all of the post drinking trials. The four

non significant mean reaction time measures on the

final trial were symbol digit coding immediate recall,

visual comparison, visual comparison with dual tasking, and symbol digit coding delayed recall. The mean

reaction time for shifting attention decisions showed

significant age effects at all post-drinking sessions, but

no significant age effect at the baseline session. The

reduction in the number of significant age main

effects for the post-drinking sessions was attributed to

a reduction in the performance levels between the

older and younger age groups in 15 of 20 cases. In

most of these cases, the older age subjects improved

performance, whereas, the younger age group demonstrated a performance decrement. The remaining five

were attributed to an elevation of the within-subject

variability. Table 13 in Appendix C displays the

performance measure, non-significant BrAC level

(Post-drinking session), and type of change in performance.

A MANOVA, using only the 24 control subjects,

was performed comparing the baseline and final nonalcohol sessions across the three age groups to test for

the stability of age effects across the (control) sessions.

These findings showed consistency across sessions. As

summarized in Table 7, the MANOVA yielded significant age effects on 18 ofthe 25 measures for each

ofthe baseline and 3 post-baseline sessions. Ofthe 10

significant MRT measures at the baseline session, 8

remained significant at all post-drinking sessions. The

2 non-significant mean reaction time measures were

symbol digit coding immediate recall and divided

attention visual comparison. The number oflost rules

for shifting attention decisions and symbol digit delay

recall number correct showed significant age effects at

all post-baseline sessions, but no significant age effect

at the baseline session.

Following the analysis of the age-related performance data, the subjects were re-configured for the

"age by alcohol" analysis. Three categories of age—

younger, middle, and older with 12 subjects in each

group— and a control group (N=24) comprised of 8

subjects from each age category, were compared across

the baseline (pre-drinking, 0.00) session and 3 levels

ofintoxication— 0.04, 0.027, and 0.014% BrACs in

a doubly repeated MANOVA (Tabachnick and Fidell,

1989) with SPSS.

Alcohol/Session Differences A MANOVA, using

the 36 alcohol subjects, was performed across all preand post- drinking sessions to identify measures evidencing an alcohol/session effect. The results of the

MANOVA are summarized in Table 8.

Three of the 13 significant main effects for the

alcohol/session variable posthoc analysis revealed significant mean differences in the direction that suggests an alcohol pattern: dual task previous numbers

MRT, symbol digit delay recall correct, and visual

comparison MRT with dual tasking. These measures

are also those which demonstrated a significant age by

session interaction, and the posthoc analysis are discussed in more detail in the next section.

Alcohol and the Alcohol/Session interaction The

results ofthe MANOVA indicated that significant age

by alcohol session interactions were obtained only for

three measures; performance means and standard deviations for those measures are presented in Tables 9-

11. The interaction effects included the mean reaction

time (MRT) of both the dual task previous numbers

(F699=2.39, p.=.0l4), and the symbol-digit delayed

recall (Ffi99=2.04, p_=.038) task, and the number correct measure for the symbol-digit delayed recall task

(F699=2.90, p_=.003). The divided attention visual

comparison MRT measure showed a borderline nonsignificant effect with a trend similar to the dual task

MRT measure.

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Table 8. MANOVA results of 36 alcohol subjects grouped by test measures across all pre- and

post- drinking sessions for the alcohol/session main effect. (MRT= Mean Reaction Time.)

Test

Measure MS Error

Backward Digit Span

Number Correct 4.76

Visual Comparison

Number Correct -46

MRT # 83097.44

Visual Comparison with Dual Tasking

.70

24368.86

2.03

52.68

48517.28

.53

1416892.95

1.09

53823.69

Number Correct

MRT

Premature Centerings

Symbol Digit Coding

Number Correct

MRT

Symbol Digit Immediate Recall

Number Correct

MRT

Matching to Sample

Number Correct

MRT

Divided Attention: Visual Comparison

Number Correct 1 -56

MRT 66019.26

Symbol Digit Delay Recall

Number Correct -70

MRT 1287347.16

Shifting Attention

Number Correct

MRT

Lost Rule

Single Task

Tracking Alone

Avg. Absolute Error

Previous Numbers Alone

Number Correct

MRT

36.44

17402.98

1.75

156.83

14.92

14920.26

Dual Task: Tracking with Previous Number Recognition

Tracking

Avg. Absolute Error 104.25

Previous Number Recognition

Number Correct 13.72

MRT 17269.84

(d.f.=2,33)

.62

2.11

2.88

3.81

9.50

1.1,7

3.35

3.49

3.95

3.26

6.35

9.23

1.16

2.46

3.00

1.07

.26

.23

5.53

.17

2.52

6.11

.89

4.25

7.02

E

.605

.104

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<.001

.323

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.019

.010

.026

.001

<.001

.326

.067

.038

.362

.856

.870

.001

.915

.063

.001

.448

.007

<.001

16
Table 9. Dual task previous numbers mean reaction time, means and standard deviations (msec.)

for three age categories at baseline (.00) and three levels of alcohol intoxication

Age

Category .00

Alcohol intoxication level

.04 .027 .0135

Younger

Middle

Older

Control

MEAN 498.10 639.60 - 588.69 602.27

SD 146.59 239.54 131.30 180.77

MEAN 524.2 714.14 739.31 706.19

SD 169.88 250.44 264.48 165.97

MEAN 730.78 949.79 882.37 786.45

SD 183.57 291.60 245.04 185.62

MEAN 737.42 694.78 740.27 797.96

SD 279.99 202.28 288.58 306.63

A test for simple effects was performed for each of

the significant interactions. The results of these tests

revealed significant differences for the dual task previous numbers MRT for both age (F233=3.92 p.=.013)

and session (F233=7.02, p_<.001), symbol-digit delayed recall MRT for age (F233=2.98, £=.039) only,

and symbol-digit delayed recall number correct for

both age (F233=3.00, p_=.038) and session (F233=4.22,

£=.007).

ATukey's Honestly Significant Differences (HSD)

test was performed on the cell means for the significant simple effects and yielded significant mean differences (p<.05) for the dual task previous numbers

MRT, the symbol-digit delayed recall MRT, and

number correct measure for the age variable. Simple

effects tests on the session variable produced mean

differences on the symbol digit delay recall MRT and

number correct, and visual comparisons with divided

attention MRT. The results of those tests are explained below for each measure. Figures 1-3 display

each effect, respectively. Figure 4 displays the divided

attention visual comparison MRT trend. For other

trend information, means and standard deviations for

all non significant measures are shown in Table 12 of

Appendix B.

The dual task previous numbers MRT measure

yielded significant mean differences during all four

sessions for the age variable and one significant mean

difference for younger age subjects on the sessions

variable (Figure 1). Mean differences were detected at

the baseline (pre-drinking) session between the younger

and older age groups, the younger age group and the

control group, the middle and older age groups, and

the middle age group and the control group. Significant mean differences were demonstrated atthe 0.04%

session between the older age group and both the

younger age group and the control group. The 0.027%

session yielded one significant mean difference, that

between the younger and older age groups. The only

significant mean difference at the 0.0135% intoxication session occurred between the younger age group

and the control group. The only significant mean

difference for the session variable was in the younger

age group between the baseline and the .027% session, in the direction expected for an alcohol effect.

The symbol-digit delayed recall MRT measure

(Figure 2) showed significant mean differences for the

age variable at the baseline session between the older

and younger age groups, and between the older and

middle age groups, and significant mean differences

on the sessions variable for the younger age group.

17
Table 10. Symbol-digit delayed recall mean reaction time, means and standard deviations (msec.)

for three age categories at baseline (.00) and three levels of alcohol intoxication.

Age

Category .00

Alcohol intoxication level

.04 .027 .0135

Younger

Middle

Older

Control

MEAN 1843.39

SD 654.30

MEAN 2487.00

SD 916.39

MEAN 4553.03

SD 2030.97

MEAN 3197.34

SD 2156.18

2336.13

1137.66

3037.62

1418.57

4470.25

2288.69

3057.45

2152.11

2215.90 2998.53

1177.43 1301.04

2319.10 3089.14

1131.10 1213.85

3978.07 3351.83

3418.90 1320.82

2744.94 3047.42

1853.74 1461.97

Table 11. Symbol-digit delayed recall number correct, means and standard deviations (msec.) for

three age categories at baseline (.00) and three levels of alcohol intoxication

Age

Category .00

Alcohol intoxication level

.04 .027 .0135

Younger MEAN

SD

6.00

0.00

5.66 5.70

0.60 0.62

5.52

0.99

Middle MEAN

SD

5.54

0.78

4.75 4.83

1.36 1.59

4.67

1.50

Older MEAN

SD

5.00

1.12

4.20 5.43

1.34 0.79

5.25

1.14

Control MEAN

SD

5.36

1.10

5.54 5.83

1.00 0.48

5.25

1.26
There was a mean difference at the 0.04% session

between only the older and the younger age groups.

The only significant mean difference for the session

variable was for the younger age group between the

baseline and the .014% session, in the direction that

suggests an alcohol effect.

The symbol-digit delayed recall correct measure

(Figure 3) yielded significant mean differences for the

age variable and the session variable. The significant

mean differences for the age variable were between the

younger and older age groups at both the baseline and

the 0.04% session. The only significant mean difference for the sessions variable was for the older age

group between the baseline and the .04% session, in

the direction that indicates an alcohol effect.

Posthoc analysis for the Divided Attention Visual

Comparison MRT measure (Figure 4) indicated significant mean differences for the age variable and the

session variable. The significant mean differences for

the age variable occurred at both the baseline and the

0.04% session between the younger and the middle

and older age groups. Significant mean differences for

the sessions variable were between the baseline and the

0.04% session for both the older and middle age

groups, in the direction that indicates an alcohol

effect. The younger age group demonstrated a significant mean difference between the baseline and the

0.027% session and between the 0.04% and the

0.027% sessions, in the direction of an alcohol effect

for the 0.027% session.

(0

T3

C

o

Ü

a>

CO

0.00% 0.040% 0.027% 0.014%

Sessions

e-Younger -e-Middle -*-0lder

Figure 1. Mean reaction time for divided attention dual task compared across pre- and postdrinking sessions by age group.

19
OT

o

c

o

Ü

Q>

W

CO

T3

C

o

Ü

<D

(0

0.00% 0.040% 0.027% 0.014%

Sessions

B-Younger -e-Middle -*-Older

Figure 2. Mean reaction time for symbol-digit delay recall compared across

pre- and post- drinking sessions by age group.

0.00% 0.040% 0.027% 0.014%

Sessions

a-Younger -e-Middle *-Older

Figure 3. Mean reaction time for symbol-digit delay recall number correct compared across

pre- and post- drinking sessions by age group.

20
w

C

o

Ü

<D

V)

3000

2700

2400

2100

1800

1500

0.00% 0.040% 0.027%

Sessions

0.014%

e-Younger ©• Middle *•Older

Figure 4. Mean reaction time for divided attention visual comparison compared across pre- and

post- drinking sessions by age group.

DISCUSSION

These data support the existing literature concerning quantitative changes in information processing

speed with aging (Cerella, 1985, 1990; Hale et al.,

1987; Myerson et al., 1990; Salthouse, 1985, 1991;

Myerson & Hale, 1993). There was an increase in

mean reaction time across tasks and across the three

age groups, supporting the findings ofDavies, Taylor,

and Dorn (1992) that an age effect is apparent, to

some extent, across different tasks. Younger age subjects in the study performed significantly faster than

older age subjects on all of the baseline MRT measures, and performed significantly faster than the

middle age subjects on 70% of the baseline MRT

measures. The middle age group was significantly

faster than the older age group on 80% of the MRT

measures.

The longer MRTs demonstrated by older subjects

did not enhance their accuracy when compared to the

younger age subjects. Youngersubjects produced more

accurate (statistically significant) scores on 80% ofthe

tests that measured MRT and number correct. Our

older aged subjects demonstrated increasingly longer

reaction times as task complexity increased, thus supporting the findings of Lima et al. (1991). Older age

subjects also demonstrated more within subject variance as the tasks became more complex. Two tests

proved to be particularly troublesome for subjects

over age 40. The shifting attention test required

subjects to identify a rule underlying the presented

stimuli. The "previous number alone" test required

subjects to indicate which number (1, 2, or 3) was

displayed after another number appeared on the screen.

Younger subjects significantly outperformed both the

middle and older subjects on all of the measures for

both of these tasks, further supporting Lima et al.

Two potential subjects removed themselves from

the experiment on the basis of the computerized

nature of the testing process. While unfamiliarity

with computers might be perceived as the basis for

some of the obtained differences, this seems unlikely,

21
since all tests were administered by computer. Subjects who were computer illiterate were given additionaltime to familiarize themselves with the computer

and overcome their fears on the initial training day.

Additionally, the human/computer interaction, with

the exception ofthe tracking task, was solely with the

light pen. That mode of interaction placed limited

demands on subjects relative to their ability to interact

with the computer.

In the overall comparison of baseline (pre-drinking) performance of alcohol subjects with performance on the alcohol measures, the alcohol sessions

yielded significant age differences on 52% (.040%),

44% (.027%) and 40% (.014%) of the measures,

whereas the baseline session yielded significant differences on 60% ofthe measures. However, the comparison of control group subjects yielded a significant

difference on 72% ofthe measures for the baseline and

all post-baseline sessions. This finding suggests that

the alcohol sessions altered (reduced) the pattern of

performance differences between age groups, in a way

that control sessions did not. The drop in significant

age differences on these sessions for alcohol subjects

can be attributed to a constriction in the range of

scores on the measures between the older and younger

age alcohol subjects. Of interest is the last session

measures where the older age subjects improved, while

the younger age subjects showed a slight decrement in

performance. Further research is indicated to determine age-related learning curves as related to test

stability with this battery. In age and alcohol research,

concerns about stability of performance across measures are important issues. These data indicate that

the COGSCREEN test battery is sensitive to decremental effects on information processing time and

cognitive reductions associated with aging.

Generally, the results ofthis study do not support

a typical alcohol effect. The MANOVA results indicate significant age and session interactions on 16% of

the measures; however, the simple effects tests yielded

results that failed to evidence sessional patterns consistent with BrAC levels. It may be that the alcohol

levels used in this study were low enough that subjects

were able to overcome the effects ofthe ingested alcohol

by motivation. However, the alcohol sessions did appear

to reduce differences between the age groups.

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24
APPENDIX A

BACKWARD DIGIT SPAN

Groups ofthree to six digits are presented sequentially, with the subject being required to reproduce each

sequence in reverse order.

VISUAL SEQUENCE COMPARISON

Pairs of alphanumeric strings, four to eight characters in length, are presented simultaneously on the right and

left halves ofthe screen. The subject indicates "same" or "different" for each pair ofstrings, with "same" meaning

the same characters in the same positions.

SYMBOL DIGIT CODING

Six paired symbols and digits are displayed near the top ofthe screen throughout the test. Farther down the

screen a row ofsymbols are presented in random order, with associated blank spaces. The subject fills in the

associated digit for each symbol, referring to those displayed at the top ofthe screen.

SYMBOL DIGIT CODING-IMMEDIATE RECALL, DELAYED RECALL

Immediately after the Symbol Digit Coding Test, and again after an approximately 30 minute delay, the six

symbols appear in random order and the subject's task is to recall the digits that had been paired with each ofthe

six symbols.

MATCHING TO SAMPLE

A grid pattern with filled and empty cells (the "sample") is presented briefly, followed after a short delay by that

same pattern along with a slightly different "foil" pattern. A forced-choice response is required, with the subject

indicating the grid pattern that is the same as the one presented previously.

DIVIDED ATTENTION

In the upper half ofthe screen a horizontal bar moves continuously up or down within a circular display,

changing direction at unpredictable times. The subject is instructed to respond when the moving bar passes from

the center region of the circle into the upper or lower regions, which are delimited by a different color. This

response temporarily returns the bar to the center of the circle. This monitoring task is performed alone and

concurrendy with a Visual Sequence Comparison task.

SHIFTING ATTENTION

Four response boxes are displayed near the bottom ofthe screen, one with a colored border, one with an

uncolored border, one with no border both containing a colored arrow pointing right, and one with no border

but with an uncolored arrow pointing left. Stimuli are displayed in a similar box above this row of response

boxes. There are five conditions, requiring the subject to respond according to different rules.

DUAL TASK TRACKING

There are two tasks, each performed separately and then concurrently. One is a second-order compensatory

tracking task in which the subject taps the right and left arrow keys on the keyboard in an attempt to center a

vertical bar moving along a horizontal line. The other task involves the sequential presentation of three numbers

in random order with the subject responding with the light pen as to the previous number presented.

Al
APPENDIX B

TABLE 12. Means and Standard deviations of performance measures for baseline (.00) and three

levels of alcohol intoxication — .00, .040, .027, and .0135— by a mixed age control group and

three age groups — younger, 25-27; middle, 42-47; and older, 57-62.

PERFORMANCE MEASURE AND GROUP .00 .04 .027 .0135

BACKWARD DIGIT SPAN

Number Correct

YOUNGER MEAN 7.917 7.091 6.417 7.273

S.D. 2.644 3.476 3.753 3.570

MIDDLE MEAN 7.000 7.750 8.167 8.750

S.D 3.191 1.765 2.290 2.667

OLDER MEAN 7.417 6.900 7.083 7.500

S.D 3.147 3.017 3.349 3.083

CONTROL MEAN 8.083 7.667 7.542 7.875

S.D. 3.147 3.017 3.349 3.083

VISUAL SEQUENCE COMPARISON

Number Correct

YOUNGER MEAN

S.D.

19.570

.786

19.500

.674

19.201

.897

19.500

.905

MIDDLE MEAN

S.D.

19.750

.452

19.583

.515

19.167

.937

19.750

.452

OLDER MEAN

S.D.

19.500

.674

19.500

.879

19.500

.905

19.750

.452

CONTROL MEAN

S.D.

19.625

.495

19.542

.588

19.458

.721

19.750

.442

Mean Reaction Time (MRT)

YOUNGER MEAN 1837.568

S.D. 570.767

1747.529 1944.973 1923.183

711.957 764.967 669.160

MIDDLE MEAN 2421.777 2329.327 2350.315 2208.900

S.D. 648.974 748.977 726.561 620.329

OLDER MEAN 2905.915 2533.400 2576.863 2546.438

S.D. 705.252 624.565 552.439 558.675

CONTROL MEAN 2289.193 2126.794 2132.152 2121.423

S.D. 795.120 546.743 583.082 613.566

Bl
TABLE 12 (Con't). Means and Standard deviations of performance measures for baseline (.00)

and three levels of alcohol intoxication — .00, .040, .027, and .0135— by a mixed age control

group and three age groups — younger, 25-27; middle, 42-47; and older, 57-62.

SYMBOL-DIGIT CODING

Number Correct

YOUNGER MEAN

S.D.

75.182

17.183

69.583

20.690

71.417

17.223

66.500

14.632

MIDDLE MEAN

S.D.

62.500

17.594

63.417

16.407

59.583

13.918

59.000

12.329

OLDER MEAN

S.D.

47.333

15.084

53.800

13.776

49.333

17.432

46.333

13.640

CONTROL MEAN

S.D.

59.375

16.421

62.167

21.508

58.167

19.433

56.167

13.739

Mean Reaction Time (MRT)

YOUNGER MEAN 1201.775

S.D. 258.123

1186.713 1200.203 1316.399

236.784 196.747 272.114

MIDDLE MEAN 1444.656 1448.291 1482.650 1517.623

S.D. 435.577 312.890 303.568 304.234

OLDER MEAN 2023.386 1674.024 1898.662 969.688

S.D. 812.831 408.154 634.859 652.531

CONTROL MEAN 1533.095 1446.970 1559.152 1584.170

S.D. 507.759 478.178 556.534 415.928

SYMBOL-DIGIT IMMEDIATE RECALL

Number Correct

YOUNGER MEAN

S.D.

MIDDLE

OLDER

MEAN

S.D.

MEAN

S.D.

CONTROL MEAN

S.D.

5.917 5.854 5.806 5.611

.289 .264 .577 .886

5.250 5.167 5.917 4.833

.965 1.193 .195 1.403

5.417 5.000 5.806 5.500

.900 1.044 .577 1.000

5.531 5.500 5.885 5.458

.928 1.022 .417 1.179

B2
TART F. 12 (Con't). Means and Standard deviations ofperformance measures for baseline (.00)

and three levels of alcohol intoxication — .00, .040, .027, and .0135— by a mixed age control

group and three age groups — younger, 25-27; middle, 42-47; and over, 57-62.

Mean Reaction Time (MRT)

YOUNGER MEAN 1201.775

S.D. 258.123

MIDDLE MEAN 1444.656

S.D. 435.577

OLDER MEAN 2023.386

S.D. 812.831

CONTROL MEAN 1533.095

S.D. 507.759

1186.713 1200.203 1316.399

236.784 196.747 272.114

1448.291 1482.650 1517.623

312.890 303.568 304.234

1674.024 1898.662 1969.688

408.154 734.859 652.531

1446.970 1559.152 1584.170

478.178 556.534 415.928

SYMBOL-DIGIT DELAYED RECALL

Number Correct

YOUNGER MEAN 6.000 5.666 5.701 5.521

S.D. .000 .603 .623 .991

MIDDLE MEAN 5.542 4.750 4.833 4.667

S.D. .775 1.357 1.586 1.497

OLDER MEAN 5.000 4.200 5.431 5.250

S.D. 1.128 1.335 .786 1.138

CONTROLMEAN 5.365 5.542 5.833 5.250

S.D. 1.101 .977 .482 1.260

Reaction Time (MRT)

YOUNGER MEAN 1843.388 2336.125 2215.896 2998.528

S.D. 654.303 1137.660 1177.434 1301.035

MIDDLE MEAN 2487.001 3037.623 2319.098 3089.139

S.D. 916.394 1418.574 1131.103 1213.103

OLDER MEAN 4553.028 4470.251 3978.069 3351.833

S.D. 2030.976 2288.691 3418.895 1320.821

CONTROL MEAN 3197.340 3057.452 2744.944 3047.417

S.D.. 2156.179 2152.110 1853.735 1461.969

B3
TABLE 12 (Con't). Means and Standard deviations of performance measures for baseline (.00)

and three levels of alcohol intoxication — .00, .040, .027, and .0135— by a mixed age control

group and three age groups — younger, 25-27; middle, 42-47; and over, 57-62.

MATCHING TO SAMPLE

Number Correct

YOUNGER

S.D.

MEAN

.866

19.250

.866

19.250

.492

19.333

.452

19.750

MIDDLE MEAN

S.D.

19.250

.866

18.545

1.076

18.833

1.467

19.417

1.240

OLDER MEAN

S.D.

17.854

1.487

17.200

1.335

17.583

2.314

18.917

1.165

CONTROL MEAN

S.D.

18.292

1.429

18.625

1.610

18.167

1.465

18.813

1.538

Mean Reaction Time (MRT)

YOUNGER MEAN 1484.621 1647.704 1570.513 1343.382

S.D. 245.783 393.497 328.829 293.749

MIDDLE MEAN

S.D.

1661.852

424.472

1925.700

432.254

1931.758

545.113

1750.877

495.985

OLDER MEAN

S.D.

2085.979

432.678

2118.508

365.031

2027.700

427.859

1784.270

310.452

CONTROL MEAN

S.D.

1727.116

339.252

1714.883

332.145

1769.149

414.538

1564.472

351.267

DIVIDED ATTENTION

Number Correct

YOUNGER

MIDDLE

OLDER

MEAN

S.D

MEAN

S.D.

MEAN

S.D.

CONTROL MEAN

S.D

18.833 17.417 18.583 19.056

.718 1.443 1.832 .679

18.333 17.500 17.750 18.500

1.371 1.679 1.215 1.087

17.833 18.550 17.417 16.750

.718 1.066 1.311 2.050

18.375 18.458 17.458 16.438

1.173 1.444 1.744 2.786

B4
TART.K 12 (Con't). Means and Standard deviations ofperformance measures for baseline (.00)

and three levels of alcohol intoxication — .00, .040, .027, and .0135— by a mixed age control

group and three age groups — younger, 25-27; middle, 42-47; and over, 57-62.

Mean Reaction Time (MRT)

YOUNGER MEAN 1985.907 2072.767 2255.454 2118.349

S.D. 752.454 960.141 1113.937 1055.230

MIDDLE MEAN 2466.270 2688.218 2560.442 2509.174

S.D. 719.394 910.505 782.317 821.248

OLDER MEAN 2534.991 2672.565 2484.678 2463.873

S.D. 569.069 582.056 496.356 565.421

CONTROL MEAN 2238.798 2219.439 2167.703 2260.358

S.D. 571.961 701.346 649.520 695.746

DUAL TASKING

Number Correct

YOUNGER MEAN 16.833 17.910 18.667 16.333

S.D. 5.006 5.373 5.883 5.033

MIDDLE MEAN 19.500 20.667 19.833 18.800

S.D. 3.497 3.939 3.834 3.511

OLDER MEAN 18.200 19.400 18.917 19.250

S.D. 3.352 2.670 3.232 3.194

CONTROL MEAN 17.138 18.583 17.694 14.542

S.D. 2.782 4.452 3.837 4.969

DUAL TASKING

Mean Reaction Time

YOUNGER MEAN 498.010 639.603 588.688 602.268

S.D. 146.586 239.640 131.297 180.776

MIDDLE MEAN 524.222 714.149 739.307 706.192

S.D. 169.881 250.444 264.487 165.973

OLDER MEAN 730.780 949.798 882.365 786.447

S.D. 183.574 291.599 245.037 185.617

CONTROL MEAN 737.416 694.780 740.266 797.955

S.D. 279.993 202.277 288.845 306.626

B5
TABLE 12 (Con't). Means and Standard deviations of performance measures for baseline (.00)

and three levels of alcohol intoxication — .00, .040, .027, and .0135— by a mixed age control

group and three age groups — younger, 25-27; middle, 42-47; and over, 57-62.

Number Premature Respo

YOUNGER

MIDDLE

nses

MEAN

S.D.

MEAN

S.D.

1.917

2.314

2.400

2.054

2.114

1.366

2.500

1.784

1.750

1.765

2.083

1.929

1.917

1.564

2.067

1.207

OLDER MEAN

S.D.

1.875

1.334

3.000

2.449

2.750

1.765

1.333

1.435

CONTROL MEAN

S.D.

2.042

1.429

2.208

2.187

2.458

1.688

2.250

1.775

SHIFTING ATTENTION

Number Correct

YOUNGER MEAN

S.D.

49.750

2.221

47.583

3.029

50.091

2.109

48.500

3.030

MIDDLE MEAN

S.D.

37.917

13.249

38.417

10.122

37.250

10.481

39.917

9.249

OLDER MEAN

S.D.

38.333

14.462

41.275

6.240

37.917

12.631

40.333

11.665

CONTROL MEAN

S.D.

41.542

10.974

42.042

9.355

42.792

9.926

41.292

9.742

SHIFTING ATTENTION

Mean Reaction Time (MRT)

YOUNGER MEAN

S.D.

664.511

143.985

648.380

119.825

634.893

101.379

610.458

123.419

MIDDLE MEAN

S.D.

OLDER MEAN

S.D.

CONTROL MEAN

S.D.

870.506

359.641

992.426

503.229

903.573

360.237

812.009

279.112

842.377

359.343

849.438

404.147

804.659

380.891

1026.779 1016.911 1035.316

228.634 416.723 405.455

814.298

320.418

759.825

248.671

B6
TART.R 12 (Con't). Means and Standard deviations ofperformance measures for baseline (.00)

and three levels of alcohol intoxication — .00, .040, .027, and .0135— by a mixed age control

group and three age groups — younger, 25-27; middle, 42-47; and over, 57-62.

Number of Lost Rules

YOUNGER MEAN

S.D.

1.417

1.084

1.333

1.557

2.273

1.135

2.000

.953

MIDDLE MEAN

S.D.

3.583

2.429

3.417

2.712

4.689

2.898

3.417

1.881

OLDER MEAN

S.D.

2.250

1.545

2.200

1.991

3.417

2.746

2.500

1.732

CONTROL MEAN

S.D.

2.583

2.244

2.583

2.104

2.667

1.685

3.063

1.794

DUAL TASKING

Tracking Alone

Mean Reaction Time

YOUNGER MEAN

S.D.

396.110

186.154

363.209

173.632

335.338

162.700

298.047

158.012

MIDDLE MEAN

S.D.

561.859

164.223

527.475

310.414

505.611

273.546

446.729

139.241

OLDER MEAN

S.D.

622.134

180.795

579.516

162.315

500.037

180.098

488.848

145.336

CONTROL MEAN

S.D.

541.220

251.975

518.060

265.134

423.289

230.972

469.849

245.903

Average Absolute Error

YOUNGER MEAN

S.D.

17.671

14.638

8.572

3.764

12.541

13.516

12.505

11.255

MIDDLE MEAN

S.D.

13.672

14.117

16.798

21.015

13.542

15.470

11.905

5.850

OLDER MEAN

S.D.

16.698

19.629

24.350

17.244

13.090

6.737

18.538

18.126

CONTROL MEAN

S.D.

19.899

15.384

20.833

20.139

19.527

16.031

24.210

23.200

B7
TABLE 12 (Con't). Means and Standard deviations ofperformance measures for baseline (.00)

and three levels of alcohol intoxication — .00, .040, .027, and .0135— by a mixed age control

group and three age groups — younger, 25-27; middle, 42-47; and over, 57-62.

Previous Numbers

Alone Correct

YOUNGER MEAN 39.833 39.750 40.833 42.417

S.D. 5.474 6.482 5.306 5.869

MIDDLE MEAN 34.500 35.917 35.333 36.667

S.D. 4.777 7.403 6.329 4.355

OLDER MEAN 30.667 32.300 32.917 35.083

S.D. 6.706 6.354 6.855 4.542

CONTROL MEAN 33.625 35.583 37.792 36.625

S.D. 8.139 7.824 6.833 7.027

Alone MRT

YOUNGER MEAN 396.110 363.209 335.338 298.047

S.D. 186.154 173.632 162.700 158.012

MIDDLE MEAN 561.859 527.475 505.611 446.729

S.D. 164.223 310.414 273.546 139.241

OLDER MEAN 622.134 579.516 500.037 488.848

S.D. 180.795 162.315 180.098 145.336

CONTROL MEAN 541.220 518.060 423.289 469.489

S.D. 251.975 265.134 230.972 245.903

DUAL TASKING

Previous Numbers

Correct

YOUNGER MEAN 30.583 33.667 36.167 33.667

S.D. 7.329 8.038 7.457 8.500

MIDDLE MEAN 28.583 30.583 31.083 33.667

S.D. 5.869 6.445 5.435 4.559

OLDER MEAN 21.917 23.200 23.417 25.167

S.D. 6.097 4.152 7.513 5.271

CONTROL MEAN 25.333 27.917 29.792 30.708

S.D. 9.964 9.297 8.506 9.248

B8
TABLE 12 (Con't). Means and Standard deviations of performance measures for baseline (.00)

and three levels of alcohol intoxication — .00, .040, .027, and .0135— by a mixed age control

group and three age groups — younger, 25-27; middle, 42-47; and over, 57-62.

DUAL TASKING

MRT

YOUNGER MEAN

S.D.

616.717

210.526

534.302

222.120

455.52

206.561

536.218

295.772

MIDDLE MEAN

S.D

710.152

232.339

652.036

209.475

604.422

186.538

533.764

159.938

OLDER MEAN

S.D

824.796

212.567

858.223

133.670

801.495

200.025

717.440

190.368

CONTROL MEAN

S.D.

753.540

317.066

713.495

304.600

647.615

283.582

581.070

270.930

Average absolute error

YOUNGER MEAN

S.D.

40.576

28.554

36.482

26.139

39.643

28.627

39.406

33.066

MIDDLE MEAN

S.D.

52.306

30.061

46.729

26.415

43.465

24.442

45.978

29.955

OLDER MEAN

S.D.

72.054

20.347

78.014

16.220

76.578

20.224

73.798

17.940

CONTROL MEAN

S.D.

61.315

28.048

63.999

29.525

58.362

30.699

59.608

29.382

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