Adult age and the speed-accuracy trade-off

Abstract

Three experiments were conducted to investigate the possibility that previously reported age differences in speed of performance were caused by older subjects placing more emphasis on accuracy than younger subjects. The speculation that older subjects generally have a greater emphasis on accuracy was confirmed, but only in one of the experiments was the complete age difference in speed found to be attributable to an age difference in accuracy. It was concluded that although a speed-accuracy trade-off cannot account for all age differences in speed, the greater bias towards accuracy in older subjects and the problems associated with interpreting traditional reaction time make it advisable that future researchers in this area employ procedures that allow an empirical determination of the relationship between speed and accuracy.