Identifying the attention mechanisms affecting working memory decline in healthy ageing to inform the design of more accessible products and targeted cognitive intervention

Identifying effective ways to preserve/remediate cognitive health in older age, or make everyday tasks more accessible for older people, is vital if we are to preserve quality of life and mitigate the impact of debilitating cognitive decline. Interventions such as cognitive training have brought limited benefit to older adults perhaps because they tend not to be developed or tested scientifically. An informed approach requires an understanding of cognitive decline, and the specific aspects of cognition that are affected. The proposed research will address this, focussing on attention and Working Memory (WM; the ability to remember information for a short time), which are fundamental aspects of cognition which are vital for daily life.