S u m m a r y

Häll P & Mäkinen K (1996)

Functional organization of the brain associated with performance level in adults and old persons

Psykologia 31/4 (269-276). Rauma ISSN 0355-1067.

 

In the present study, the functional organization of the brain associated with performance level was examined during goal-directed activity. The subjects were 11 healthy old persons (age 71-81, 6 males, 5 females) and 6 adults (age 38-45 years, 4 males, 2 females). The task was to drive a computer-simulated video traffic game consisting of two interdependent cross roads and a feedback phase. In order to make an individual examination of the changes associated with learning occurring in the functional organization of the brain, one subject (male, 75 years) was reinvited to the experiment two weeks later and also after a two year interval. During the experiment, an EEG was recorded (F3, Fz, F4, P3, Pz, P4), and the performance was videotaped. The performance level of the subjects was defined by the number of successful decisions and the amount of positive feedback. A factor analysis of EEG was performed.

The results showed that in old persons, a high performance level was associated more frequently with frontal and parietal division of brain activity than a low performance level. In adults, a high performance level was associated with prevalency of the right frontal area and a low performance level with the frontal and parietal division. The case study of one old person showed that with learning, the functional organization of the brain became similar to that of high performers in the group of old persons (frontal and parietal division).

 

Keywords:

EEG, performance, age.

 

Pasi Häll, M.Ed., research assistant, Deparment of Behavioral Sciences, University of Oulu.

Kauko Mäkinen, Lic.Ed., senior assistant, Department of Behavioral Sciences, University of Oulu.