Takao Matsui

THE EFFECT OF TEMPORAL UNCERTAINTY ON NEGATIVE PRIMING

The purpose of this study was to assess whether the temporal uncertainty of stimuli appearance influences negative priming. A simple reaction time measure of temporal uncertainty was introduced and showed that temporal uncertainty varied according to the response-stimulus interval (RSI). Using a design introduced by Conway in 1999 for manipulating RSIs, temporal uncertainty was shown to be measurably different for different RSI conditions, even across conditions which previous research had assumed to be equal in temporal uncertainty. This difference in temporal uncertainty partially accounted for differences in negative priming between conditions. An important implication is that research in negative priming generally should take account of temporal uncertainty, for example, by using the simple reaction time measure used here.

News from the IAG

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the International Association of Gerontology. To celebrate this watershed occasion, the IAG Executive, Regional Chairs and Presidents of member associations will have the opportunity to meet in December and consider future strategic directions for the association and contribute to a United Nations’ project, ‘Research Agenda on Ageing for the 21st Century’ (RAA-21). Invitations to the meeting have been distributed. The Salsomaggiore Therme has generously offered to provide full accommodation and board for delegates for the 3 days of the IAG meeting and travel grant assistance is being provided by the Novartis Foundation for Gerontology for presidents whose travel cannot be funded by their associations. A full day will be devoted to discussion of future strategic directions for the IAG. The next half day will be a joint consultation when the IAG representatives and a panel of experts with an ongoing involvement in developing the Research Agenda will convene. Participants will also include the Officer in Charge, Dr. Alexandre Sidorenko, and others from the UN Office on Ageing. The UN and Expert Panel will continue their deliberations for a further 2 days in order to draft the final Research Agenda. The United Nations Research Agenda project is supported by the Novartis Foundation for Gerontology and is convened by the IAG in support of the UN Programme on Ageing. The Second Congress Planning Committee Meeting for the 2001 Vancouver Congress convened by Dr. Gloria Gutman, President-Elect of IAG, will precede the gathering of presidents and regional chairs. Hence the 50th anniversary of the IAG will represent an occasion when it will be possible to build upon the proud history of the association and vigorously pursue the further development and achievements of national and global gerontological activities into the opening years of the new century. An agenda will be set for the meeting in Salsomaggiore, Italy, that we are confident will engender vigorous and positive consideration and debate about the IAG’s future directions and will set goals and objectives to guide the organization through the coming years.