Adult age differences in goal activation and goal maintenance

According to the goal-neglect hypothesis of age-related decrements in cognitive control advocated in this paper, such decrements can be usefully and parsimoniously attributed to a reduced capacity for goal selection and goal maintenance in working memory. A selective review of research findings on age-related differences in exogenous and endogenous control of visual attention and eye movements and on performance in the task-switching paradigm serves to illustrate and clarify this hypothesis. The relative merits and scope of the hypothesis are examined within a broader theoretical perspective on the organisation of the domain of executive functions.