Here we show that multitasking performance, as assessed with a custom-designed three-dimensional video game (NeuroRacer), exhibits a linear age-related decline from 20 to 79 years of age. It is clear that multitasking behaviour has become ubiquitous in today’s technologically dense world 3, and substantial evidence has accrued regarding multitasking difficulties and cognitive control deficits in our ageing population 4.
Humans regularly challenge these control processes when attempting to simultaneously accomplish multiple goals (multitasking), generating interference as the result of fundamental information processing limitations 2. Cognitive control is defined by a set of neural processes that allow us to interact with our complex environment in a goal-directed manner 1.
