A systematic review of age-related differences in inhibitory control performance on the flanker task

Aging is linked to declines in cognitive functions, particularly inhibitory control. The flanker task is a common tool used to measure this, yet studies on age-related differences yield mixed results. This systematic review synthesizes findings from 18 studies comparing young and older adults. The results consistently show that older adults exhibit slower reaction times, especially on incongruent trials, suggesting inhibitory difficulties. However, differences in accuracy are less consistent. Variability across studies may result from differences in participant samples, task design, statistical methods and inhibition scoring. Future research should address these inconsistencies to clarify age-related inhibitory deficits and enhance interventions targeting cognitive decline.