Which cognitive process is particularly difficult for older adults when talking on the phone while driving?

• A. Visual perception
• B. Divided attention
• C. Long-term memory retrieval
• D. Language comprehension

Answer: (B)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the concept of divided attention, which refers to the ability to focus on multiple tasks or sources of information simultaneously.
2. Recognize that talking on the phone while driving requires managing at least two tasks at once: processing auditory information from the phone conversation and monitoring the driving environment.
3. Consider how aging affects cognitive processes, particularly the decline in the efficiency of divided attention, making it harder for older adults to handle multiple tasks simultaneously.
4. Compare divided attention with other options such as visual perception, long-term memory retrieval, and language comprehension, noting that these are less directly challenged by the dual-task scenario of phone use while driving.
5. Conclude that divided attention is the cognitive process most impacted in this context because it involves managing competing demands on attention, which becomes more difficult with age.