scholarly journals Depth of Processing and Text Recall in Adulthood

1984 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 109-117 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roger A. Dixon ◽  
Alexander von Eye
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Incidental Learning ◽  
Semantic Analysis ◽  
Deep Processing ◽  
Depth Of Processing ◽  
Aging Research ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Adult Age ◽  
Intentional Condition ◽  
Better Than

The depth of processing model suggests that incidental learning occurs at various “depths” corresponding to the degree of semantic analysis. Because deep processing is associated with improved recall, and because older adults generally perform at a lower level than younger adults, this model has been applied to aging research. The present study examined the validity of this model by comparing a sample of three German adult age groups with a similar sample in an earlier American study. Specifically, subjects read a 500-word narrative under one of four conditions: (a) a shallow, nonsemantic orienting task; (b) and (c) two deep, semantic orienting tasks; or (d) an intentional condition. Results indicated that, overall, younger adults performed better than older adults, that recall in the intentional condition was significantly better than in the two deep processing conditions, and recall in these conditions was better than in the shallow condition. Cross-sample comparisons and subsequent implications for the validity of the model are discussed.

scholarly journals When twice is better than once: increased liking of repeated items influences memory in younger and older adults

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rocco Palumbo ◽  
Alberto Di Domenico ◽  
Beth Fairfield ◽  
Nicola Mammarella
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Recognition Memory ◽  
Memory Task ◽  
Memory Encoding ◽  
Mere Exposure Effect ◽  
Differential Impact ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Repeated Presentation ◽  
Exposure Effect ◽  
Better Than

Abstract Background Numerous studies have reported that the repeated presentation of a stimulus leads to an increase in positive affect towards the stimulus itself (the so-called mere exposure effect). Here, we evaluate whether changes in liking due to repetition may have a differential impact on subsequent memories in younger and older adults. Method In two experiments, younger and older adults were asked to rate a series of nonwords (Experiment 1) or unfamiliar neutral faces (Experiment 2) in terms of how much they like them and then presented with a surprise yes–no recognition memory task. At study, items were repeated either consecutively (massed presentation) or with a lag of 6 intervening items (spaced presentation). Results In both experiments, participants rated spaced repeated items more positively than massed items, i.e. they liked them most. Moreover, older adults remembered spaced stimuli that they liked most better than younger adults. Conclusions The findings are discussed in accordance with the mechanisms underlying positivity effects in memory and the effect of repetition on memory encoding.

scholarly journals Adult age differences in subjective responses to dynamic socioemotional incentives

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sade J Abiodun ◽  
Galen McAllister ◽  
Gregory Russell Samanez-Larkin ◽  
Kendra Leigh Seaman
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Age Differences ◽  
Emotional Valence ◽  
Incentive Motivation ◽  
Social Signals ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Positivity Effect ◽  
Adult Age ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Adult Age Differences

Facial expressions are powerful communicative social signals that motivate feelings and action in the observer. However, research on incentive motivation has overwhelmingly focused on money and points and the limited research on social incentives has been mostly focused on responses in young adulthood. Previous research on the age-related positivity effect and adult age differences in social motivation suggest that older adults might experience higher levels of positive arousal to socioemotional stimuli than younger adults. Affect ratings following dynamic emotional expressions (anger, happiness, sadness) varying in magnitude of expression showed that higher magnitude expressions elicited higher arousal and valence ratings. Older adults did not differ significantly in levels of arousal when compared to younger adults, however their ratings of emotional valence were significantly higher as the magnitude of expressions increased. The findings provide novel evidence that socioemotional incentives may be relatively more reinforcing as adults age. More generally, these dynamic socioemotional stimuli that vary in magnitude are ideal for future studies of more naturalistic affect elicitation, studies of social incentive processing, and use in incentive-driven choice tasks.

Self-Efficacy for Physical Activity—A Question of Item Framing and Age?

2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 173-179
Author(s):  
Johanna Popp ◽  
Nanna Notthoff ◽  
Lisa Marie Warner
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Positive Information ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Positivity Effect ◽  
Initial Support ◽  
Experimental Group ◽  
Better Than ◽  
Activity Questionnaire

Older adults process and remember positive information relatively better than negative information, compared with younger adults; this is known as the positivity effect. This study examined whether older adults compared with younger adults also respond differently to positively and negatively framed questionnaire items. Participants (N = 275; age = 18–81 years) were randomly assigned to a positively or negatively framed version of a self-efficacy for physical activity questionnaire. Self-efficacy, physical activity intentions, and planned physical activity in the following week were regressed on experimental group and age, controlling for baseline physical activity and covariates. A significant Age × Frame interaction showed that item framing made a difference in planned physical activity for the oldest age group (+350 min compared with the youngest group). This study provides initial support for the positivity effect in item framing on physical activity plans, but not on intentions or self-efficacy. Item framing should be taken into consideration for accurate measurement, but could also be a simple intervention approach.

scholarly journals Age differences in recall and liking of arousing television commercials

2015 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Margot J. van der Goot ◽  
Eva A. van Reijmersdal ◽  
Mariska Kleemans
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Age Differences ◽  
Practical Implication ◽  
Television Commercials ◽  
Target Groups ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Brand Recall ◽  
Advertising Effects ◽  
Linear Relationships ◽  
Better Than

AbstractThis article examines whether there are differences between older and younger adults in recall and liking of arousing television commercials. As hypothesized, the experiment demonstrated that older adults remembered brands and products in calm commercials better than in arousing commercials, and they also liked calm commercials more. In contrast, younger adults remembered brands and products in arousing commercials better and they liked these commercials more. In addition, (curvi)linear relationships showed that for older adults arousal deteriorates their recall and liking, whereas for younger adults arousal – up to a certain point – is beneficial. These findings strongly suggest that advertising effects found in younger samples are unlikely to be the same for older target groups. An important practical implication is that it currently seems wise to make commercials targeted towards older adults calm instead of arousing when the aim is to generate brand recall and liking.

scholarly journals Mental Health and Social Connectedness Across the Adult Lifespan in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Madeline A. Gregory ◽  
Nicole K. Legg ◽  
Zachary Senay ◽  
Jamie-Lee Barden ◽  
Peter Phiri ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Support ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Connectedness ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Health Impacts ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Adult Age

Abstract The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has had profound consequences on collective mental health and well-being, and yet, older adults appear better off than younger adults. The current study examined mental health impacts of the pandemic across adult age groups in a large sample (n = 5,320) of Canadians using multiple hierarchical regression analyses. Results suggest older adults are experiencing better mental health and more social connectedness relative to younger adults. Loneliness predicted negative mental health outcomes across all age groups, while the negative association between social support and mental health was only significant at average and high levels of loneliness in the 65–69 age group. Results point towards differential mental health impacts of the pandemic across adult age groups and indicate that loneliness and social support may be key intervention targets during the COVID-19 pandemic. Future research should further examine mechanisms of resiliency among older Canadian adults during the pandemic.

scholarly journals Adult age differences in frequency estimations of happy and angry faces

2014 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 266-274 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jana Nikitin ◽  
Alexandra M. Freund
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Negative Events ◽  
High Likelihood ◽  
Social Signals ◽  
Positive Events ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Adult Age ◽  
Social Events ◽  
The Difference

With increasing age, the ratio of gains to losses becomes more negative, which is reflected in expectations that positive events occur with a high likelihood in young adulthood, whereas negative events occur with a high likelihood in old age. Little is known about expectations of social events. Given that younger adults are motivated to establish new social relations, they should be vigilant towards signals of opportunities for socializing, such as smiling faces. Older adults, who are particularly motivated to avoid negative encounters, should be vigilant towards negative social signals, such as angry faces. Thus, younger adults should overestimate the occurrence of positive social signals, whereas older adults should overestimate the occurrence of negative social signals. Two studies (Study 1: n = 91 younger and n = 89 older adults; Study 2: n = 50 younger and n = 50 older adults) partly supported these hypotheses using frequency estimates of happy and angry faces. Although both younger and older adults overestimated the frequency of angry compared to happy faces, the difference was significantly more pronounced for older adults.

scholarly journals Age-related Changes in Ongoing Thought Relate to External Context and Individual Cognition

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 967-967
Author(s):  
Adam Turnbull ◽  
Giulia Poerio ◽  
Feng Lin ◽  
Jonathan Smallwood
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Experience Sampling ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Lifestyle Changes ◽  
Aging Research ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Daily Lives ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Age Related Changes

Abstract Understanding how age-related changes in cognition manifest in the real world is an important goal for aging research. One means of capturing these changes involves “experience sampling” participant’s self-reported thoughts as they go about their daily lives. Previous research using this method has shown age-related changes in ongoing thought: e.g., older adults have fewer thoughts unrelated to the here-and-now. However, it is currently unclear how these changes reflect cognitive aging or lifestyle changes. 78 younger adults and 35 older adults rated their thought contents along 20 dimensions and the difficulty of their current activity in their daily lives. They also performed cognitive tasks in the laboratory. In a set of exploratory analyses using Principal Component Analysis (PCA), we found that older adults spent more time thinking positive, wanted thoughts, particularly in demanding contexts, suggesting they may use different strategies to regulate their emotions. In line with previous research, older adults spent less time mind wandering about their future selves. Past-related thought related to episodic memory differently in older and younger adults. Additionally, PCA analyses performed separately in older and younger adults showed high similarity to an analysis performed on the combined sample, suggesting a similar structure to ongoing daily life thought in older and younger adults. These findings inform the use of experience sampling to understand cognitive aging, highlighting the need to consider content along multiple dimensions as well as the context in which thoughts are reported when analyzing aging ongoing thought.

scholarly journals Adaptability of Older Adults at the Onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 735-735
Author(s):  
Laurie Blackman ◽  
Donna Wang ◽  
Kathryn Krase ◽  
Joyce Roberson-Steele ◽  
Annette Clarke-Jones ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Future Generations ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Current Crisis ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Different Sources ◽  
Better Than

Abstract It is important to understand the unique experiences and perspectives of older adults who were required to incorporate critical adjustments to behavior during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. An anonymous, cross sectional survey was administered online through Qualtrics Survey Software in June 2020. The results of this study found that older adults utilized different sources of information than younger adults; they were more likely to read the newspaper or listen to the radio, and less likely to rely on social media for information. Older respondents in this study reported coping with the COVID-19 outbreak better than younger respondents, were less likely to report that they were personally affected by the virus, and less likely to feel overwhelmed by the amount of information about COVID-19. The findings of this study highlight resilience in older adults not found in younger adults, and provide an important step in identifying policy and practice suggestions to reduce negative repercussions for older adults experiencing the current crisis, as well as future generations of older adults who might experience similar events.

Understanding Adult Age Differences in the Frequency of Problems With Friends

2016 ◽  
Vol 84 (2) ◽  
pp. 159-179
Author(s):  
Leo Schlosnagle ◽  
JoNell Strough
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Age Differences ◽  
Friendship Quality ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Adult Age ◽  
Frequent Contact ◽  
Contact Frequency ◽  
Adult Age Differences ◽  
Significant Mediator

We investigated characteristics of younger and older adults’ friendships. Younger ( N = 39) and older ( N = 39) adults completed measures pertaining to a specific friend they had (i.e., contact frequency, positive friendship quality, and negative friendship quality) and their frequency of problems with friends in general. Older adults reported fewer problems with friends in general, and fewer negative friendship qualities, less frequent contact, and more positive friendship qualities with a specific friend than younger adults. Contact frequency, positive friendship quality, and negative friendship quality with a specific friend were related to frequency of problems with friends in general, but only contact frequency was a significant mediator of the relation between age and frequency of problems with friends in general. Results show that characteristics of a specific friendship relate to problems with friends in general, and that contact frequency with a specific friend mediates the relation between age and problems with friends in general. Implications are discussed.

scholarly journals Sensorimotor-Cognitive Couplings in the Context of Assistive Spatial Navigation for Older Adults

GeroPsych ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 69-77 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Schellenbach ◽  
Martin Lövdén ◽  
Julius Verrel ◽  
Antonio Krüger ◽  
Ulman Lindenberger
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Postural Control ◽  
Virtual World ◽  
Spatial Navigation ◽  
Cognitive Demand ◽  
Spatial Processing ◽  
Assistive Device ◽  
Cognitive Demands ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Adult Age

With advancing adult age, sensorimotor functioning, spatial processing, and the motivation to explore new environments decline, leading to impaired spatial navigation skills. Using a controlled virtual-world laboratory equipped with a treadmill interface, we examined how assistive navigation technologies differing in cognitive demand affect walking regularity and navigation performance in younger and older adults. Relative to an assistive device with low cognitive demands, older, but not younger adults’ navigation performance decreased with a cognitively more demanding device. Furthermore, older adults showed higher gait irregularity than younger adults, especially with the cognitively demanding device. We conclude that assistive navigation devices show promise in supporting older adults’ pedestrian mobility if aging-induced increments in cognitive demands of spatial navigation and postural control are considered.

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