This study compared the performance of selected groups of Brazilian and American individuals on the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT). The sample was composed of 70 Brazilian and American individuals of both genders, divided into two groups of young and older adults. The two groups of Brazilians were composed of 10 young adults, aged 25 to 41 years, and 25 older adults, aged 60 to 75 years. The two groups of Americans were composed of 10 young adults, aged 28 to 39 years, and 25 older adults, aged 60 to 76 years. A two-way analysis of variance revealed differences in performance between Brazilian and American participants, regardless of age group (country, p = .001; age group, p = .134; country vs. age group, p = .291). Analyses of variance using age group and country as main factors did not reveal any difference between the two national groups with regard to the learning achieved during the task (block, p < .001; age group, p = .063; country, p = .086). The results suggest that culture, represented by the country of origin, influences the performance of individuals on the IGT, demonstrating the importance of validating an instrument for each cultural group on which it is used.

This study compared the performance of selected groups of Brazilian and American individuals on the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT). The sample was composed of 70 Brazilian and American individuals of both genders, divided into two groups of young and older adults. The two groups of Brazilians were composed of 10 young adults, aged 25 to 41 years, and 25 older adults, aged 60 to 75 years. The two groups of Americans were composed of 10 young adults, aged 28 to 39 years, and 25 older adults, aged 60 to 76 years. A two-way analysis of variance revealed differences in performance between Brazilian and American participants, regardless of age group (country, p = .001; age group, p = .134; country vs. age group, p = .291). Analyses of variance using age group and country as main factors did not reveal any difference between the two national groups with regard to the learning achieved during the task (block, p < .001; age group, p = .063; country, p = .086). The results suggest that culture, represented by the country of origin, influences the performance of individuals on the IGT, demonstrating the importance of validating an instrument for each cultural group on which it is used.

This study aimed at investigating differences in the performance of the young elderly and oldest old in tasks evaluating cognitive flexibility/inhibition (Stroop test), selective attention/working memory (Digit Span Subtest), premorbid intelligence/semantic knowledge (Vocabulary Subtest), and decision making (Iowa Gambling Task -IGT). Twenty healthy individuals were divided into two groups: 10 young elderly (M = 62 years, SD = 2.1) and 10 oldest old (M = 80 years, SD = 3.3), both with high educational level (M = 14 years of study, SD = 2.5). Results showed that the groups were only different in terms of decision making. There was also a difference in the learning process of each group; the young elderly reached more favorable scores in the IGT.

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O presente estudo comparou adultos jovens e adultos idosos em seu desempenho na IGT. A amostra foi constituída por de 72 indivíduos, distribuídos em dois grupos etários: 36 adultos jovens (M = 29,86, DP = 4,63) e 36 adultos idosos (M = 66,89, DP = 5,19). Não houve diferença entre os grupos quanto às escolhas de cartas (p= 0,60), considerando o escore com base no cálculo (mental). Observaram-se, contudo, diferenças significativas no processo de aprendizagem (p = 0,026). considerando o escore com base na frequência (punição), não foram observadas diferenças significativas nas escolhas das cartas (p = 0,48) bem como no processo de aprendizagem (p = 0,076). Os resultados corroboram estudos anteriores, que minimizam a influência da idade na IGT. Sugerese que a forma de analisar os escores pode estar influenciando o entendimento do comportamento de escolha, juntamente a aspectos referentes à constituição da amostra.