This is a rather interesting factor because
it has been hypothesized that the aged lose the ability to process relevant information
when compared to younger subjects (Haywood, 1993). Based on the foundation of the
“information loss model”, it is believed that both young and old subjects alike process
and respond to external stimuli in a sequential order of steps, with each step lasting a
precise amount of time and dependent upon the inverse relationship of the information
available in the subject’s environment. This would suggest that if very little information
were available, the amount of time to process through each step would increase, whereas
if more information were available the process would be significantly shorter. As a result,
older adults would ultimately spend more time during each step when compared to younger
subjects (Myerson et al., 1990). This increase is even more noticeable when tasks become
more attention demanding (Jordan and Rabbitt, 1977; Stelmach and Worringham, 1985).
In light of this evidence, it would seem fitting to study this parameter as a function of falls
due to the fact that seniors must process many attention demanding factors when faced with
the possibility of preventing a fall.