The Effect of Age and Mood State on Sustained Attention

Abstract

Maintaining attention during tasks that require sustained, focused attention can be difficult and is influenced by motivation, feedback, sleep, and stress. The purpose of this research was to investigate the impact of age and mood state on two sustained performance tasks. Active duty military and veterans (n=211) completed a demographic survey, the Running Memory Continuous Performance Test and the Standard Continuous Performance Test using the Automated Neuropsychological Assessment Metric software program. Results revealed that younger age and greater happiness yield faster reaction times, older age and greater depression and fatigue yield slower reaction times on various sustained performance measures (p < .05). The discussion includes both theoretical, as well as practical implications. While one cannot change their age, it is suggested that one can be aware of how their age influences reaction times. In addition, an individual can influence their own mood state or choose to avoid sustained attention tasks that depend on quick reactions when fatigued or depressed.