Age Differences in Face Processing: The Role of Perceptual Degradation and Holistic Processing

2018 ◽  
Vol 74 (6) ◽  
pp. 933-942 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabelle Boutet ◽  
Bozana Meinhardt-Injac
Keyword(s):  
Age Differences ◽  
Face Processing ◽  
Middle Age ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Signal Strength ◽  
Holistic Processing ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Spatial Frequencies ◽  
Comparable Magnitude

Abstract Objectives We simultaneously investigated the role of three hypotheses regarding age-related differences in face processing: perceptual degradation, impaired holistic processing, and an interaction between the two. Methods Young adults (YA) aged 20–33-year olds, middle-age adults (MA) aged 50–64-year olds, and older adults (OA) aged 65–82-year olds were tested on the context congruency paradigm, which allows measurement of face-specific holistic processing across the life span (Meinhardt-Injac, Persike & Meinhardt, 2014. Acta Psychologica, 151, 155–163). Perceptual degradation was examined by measuring performance with faces that were not filtered (FSF), with faces filtered to preserve low spatial frequencies (LSF), and with faces filtered to preserve high spatial frequencies (HSF). Results We found that reducing perceptual signal strength had a greater impact on MA and OA for HSF faces, but not LSF faces. Context congruency effects were significant and of comparable magnitude across ages for FSF, LSF, and HSF faces. By using watches as control objects, we show that these holistic effects reflect face-specific mechanisms in all age groups. Discussion Our results support the perceptual degradation hypothesis for faces containing only HSF and suggest that holistic processing is preserved in aging even under conditions of reduced signal strength.

Concrete and Formal Operational thought Processes in Young Adulthood and Old Age

1976 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 237-245 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vivian Clayton ◽  
Willis F. Overton
Keyword(s):  
Old Age ◽  
Living Arrangements ◽  
Fluid Intelligence ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Thought Processes ◽  
Crystallized Intelligence ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Concrete Operational ◽  
Fluid And Crystallized Intelligence

A study was conducted to examine the role of concrete and formal operations in a young and old population. In addition, the present study explored the relation between operational thought and Cattell's concept of fluid and crystallized intelligence, as well as the role of differential living arrangements in maintaining operational thought. Eighty females from three age groups (18–20 years, 60–70 years and 70–80 years of age) were tested on a series of Piagetian tasks and indices of fluid and crystallized intelligence. The findings supported the notion that age-related performance differences occur in the area of formal operational thought prior to the time they occur in concrete operational thought. Except for the young sample, the operational tasks were found to be unrelated to fluid intelligence at the age levels represented in this study. Living independently as opposed to living in an old age home did not appear to be a significant factor in maintaining operational thought. Discussion focused on the necessity of identifying those factors which influence the developmental course of formal operational thought across the life span.

scholarly journals Age Differences in the Required Coefficient of Friction During Level Walking Do Not Exist When Experimentally-Controlling Speed and Step Length

2014 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 542-546 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dennis E. Anderson ◽  
Christopher T. Franck ◽  
Michael L. Madigan
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Age Differences ◽  
Coefficient Of Friction ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Step Length ◽  
Age Difference ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Independent Effects ◽  
Positive Effect

The effects of gait speed and step length on the required coefficient of friction (COF) confound the investigation of age-related differences in required COF. The goals of this study were to investigate whether age differences in required COF during self-selected gait persist when experimentally-controlling speed and step length, and to determine the independent effects of speed and step length on required COF. Ten young and 10 older healthy adults performed gait trials under five gait conditions: self-selected, slow and fast speeds without controlling step length, and slow and fast speeds while controlling step length. During self-selected gait, older adults walked with shorter step lengths and exhibited a lower required COF. Older adults also exhibited a lower required COF when walking at a controlled speed without controlling step length. When both age groups walked with the same speed and step length, no age difference in required COF was found. Thus, speed and step length can have a large influence on studies investigating age-related differences in required COF. It was also found that speed and step length have independent and opposite effects on required COF, with step length having a strong positive effect on required COF, and speed having a weaker negative effect.

scholarly journals EXPLORING AGE, GENDER, AND RELATIONSHIP CLOSENESS DIFFERENCES IN RESPONSES TO IGNORED DISRESPECT

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S305-S305
Author(s):  
Jenessa C Steele ◽  
Amanda Chappell ◽  
Rachel Scott
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Age Differences ◽  
Negative Emotions ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Emotional Responses ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Relationship Closeness ◽  
Close Condition

Abstract Emotional responses to disrespect tend to be negative (Hawkins, 2015). Little is known about how responses to disrespect vary across age groups and relationship closeness. It is unknown whether older adults have more emotional protection against disrespectful experiences, or are more deeply affected due to relationship closeness. Overall, we might expect that older adults react less negatively to disrespect compared to young adults, as they are more-skilled emotion regulators (Carstensen, 1991; English & Carstensen, 2014). We aimed to explore if, and under which circumstances, older adults are more or less sensitive to disrespect compared to younger adults. Three hundred participants responded to six scenarios illustrating ignored disrespect. Participants were randomly assigned to close or distant relationship disrespect scenarios. Relationship closeness was first determined by requesting participants identify a person in each layer of Kahn and Antonucci’s (1980) Social Convoy Model. Identified names were then automatically inserted into the six scenarios. Emotional responses and sensitivity to each scenario were recorded. Participants in the close condition reported more sensitivity to disrespect and negative emotions than participants in the distant condition. Females reported more sensitivity to disrespect and negative emotions than males. We did not find overwhelming support for age differences in responses to disrespect. A single scenario indicated younger participants more sensitive to disrespect than older participants. Findings suggest it is more hurtful to be disrespected by someone close to you and females may be more sensitive to disrespect than males. More research investigating the role of age in disrespect is needed.

scholarly journals ANGER, LOVE, SADNESS: DO EMOTION WORDS HAVE THE SAME SEMANTIC MEANING ACROSS AGE-GROUPS?

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S841-S842
Author(s):  
Madeline J Nichols ◽  
Jennifer A Bellingtier ◽  
Frances Buttelmann
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Age Differences ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Past Research ◽  
Semantic Meaning ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Emotion Words ◽  
Emotion Word ◽  
Age Related

Abstract Every day we use emotion words to describe our experiences, but past research finds that the meanings of these words can vary. Furthermore, historical shifts in language use and experiential knowledge of the emotions may contribute to age-differences in what these emotion words convey. We examined age-related differences in the valence, arousal, and expression connoted by the words anger, love, and sadness. We predicted age-related differences in the semantic meanings of the words would emerge such that older adults would more clearly differentiate the positivity/negativity of the words, whereas younger adults would report higher endorsement for the conveyed arousal and expression. Participants included American and German older adults (N=61; mean age=68.98) and younger adults (N=77; mean age=20.77). Using the GRID instrument (Swiss Center for Affective Sciences, 2013), they rated each emotion word for its valence, arousal, and expression when used by a speaker of the participant’s native language. Across emotions and dimensions, older adults were generally more moderate in their understanding of emotion words. For example, German older adults rated anger and sadness as suggesting the speaker felt less bad and more good than the younger adults. American older adults rated love as connoting the speaker felt more bad and less good than younger adults. Arousal ratings were higher for German younger, as opposed to older, adults. Cultural differences were most pronounced for sadness such that German participants gave more moderate answers than American participants. Overall, our research suggests that there are age-related differences in the understanding of emotion words.

Differences and Similarities in Forgiveness Seeking Across Childhood and Adolescence

2018 ◽  
Vol 44 (8) ◽  
pp. 1119-1132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Blake M. Riek ◽  
Christin C. DeWit
Keyword(s):  
Prosocial Behavior ◽  
Age Differences ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Teacher Ratings ◽  
Childhood And Adolescence ◽  
Older Students ◽  
Offense Severity ◽  
12Th Grade ◽  
Age Related

The current study examines age-related differences and similarities in forgiveness seeking. Students in third, seventh, and 12th grade imagined themselves committing various transgressions and the characteristics of these transgression (e.g., severity of consequences, type of offense) were manipulated. Across the age groups, forgiveness seeking was predicted by guilt, whereas withdrawal was predicted by shame. For all age groups, forgiveness seeking was more likely to occur when the offense was an active one rather than a failure to act. However, age differences were found in how offense severity affected forgiveness seeking. Older students were more likely to seek forgiveness when the offense was high rather than low in severity, but younger students did not show this difference. Age differences were also found in the motivations for seeking forgiveness. Finally, teacher ratings of students’ overall prosocial behavior were positively correlated with forgiveness seeking.

Orienting Responses as a Function of Age and Task Complexity

1976 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 543-553 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roger L. Greene
Keyword(s):  
Age Differences ◽  
Visual Stimulus ◽  
Task Complexity ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Stimulus Onset ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Stimulus Content ◽  
Stimulus Offset ◽  
Age Related Changes ◽  
And Task

Age-related differences in the elicitation and habituation of orienting responses to the onset and offset of stimuli have been suggested by several authors. Electrodermal and cardiac orienting responses to the onset and offset of a visual stimulus were measured in three age groups (4 yr., 7 yr., and undergraduate). Each S made one of three judgments: non-signal (observe stimulus), content (color of stimulus), and duration (length of time stimulus presented). Few age differences were found in elicitation or habituation of orienting responses to stimulus onset or offset. There was a trend for elicitation of orienting responses to stimulus offset to be age-related, but the failure to find any other age-related changes made this difference somewhat questionable. Instructions as to the judgment to be made by S were the primary determinants of orienting responses to stimulus onset and offset across all age groups.

scholarly journals Giving vs. losing: age differences in decisions about charitable donations

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erika Sparrow
Keyword(s):  
Age Differences ◽  
Intertemporal Choice ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Healthy Older Adults ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Financial Decision ◽  
Gains And Losses ◽  
Effect Of Age ◽  
Related Increase

In addition to making decisions about gains and losses that affect only ourselves, often in life we make decisions that benefit others. Research on lifespan changes in motivation suggests that altruistic motives become stronger with age. However, few studies have explored the effect of age on decisions that affect others. The current study used a realistic financial decision making task involving choices for gains, losses, and donations. Each decision involved an intertemporal choice, in which the participant selected either a smaller-sooner or a larger-later option that could affect their bonus payout. Participants included 36 healthy younger adults (M = 25.1 years) and 36 healthy older adults (M = 70.4 years). Both age groups chose more larger-later donations than larger-later losses, but the magnitude of this effect was amplified in older relative to younger adults. These findings suggest that intertemporal choices may be sensitive to an age-related increase in altruistic motivation

The Influence of Age and Experience on the Performance of a Data Entry Task

1997 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 144-147 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara J. Czaja ◽  
Joseph Sharit
Keyword(s):  
Task Performance ◽  
Age Differences ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Data Entry ◽  
Age Effects ◽  
Group Differences ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Task Experience ◽  
Over Time

Findings from research examining age and computer task performance indicate that older people perform less well than younger people on these types of tasks. The present study examined whether age-related performance differences are maintained with task experience. To address this issue one hundred and ten subjects, ranging in age from 20—75 yrs., performed a data entry task over a three day period. The task represented a simulation of a real world job. The data indicated significant age differences in work output (amount of data entered). Further, although there were significant improvements in performance with increased task experience across subjects, age group differences were maintained over time. With respect to errors there were no age effects and there was a significant reduction in errors across the three days. However, the pattern of change varied across age groups. These results are consistent with other studies which suggest that experience does not compensate for age effects for tasks which emphasize speed of processing.

scholarly journals Age-Associated Differences of Modules and Hubs in Brain Functional Networks

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yinghui Zhang ◽  
Yin Wang ◽  
Nan Chen ◽  
Man Guo ◽  
Xiuzhen Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Healthy Aging ◽  
Middle Age ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Young Group ◽  
Brain Dysfunction ◽  
Modular Organization ◽  
Functional Networks ◽  
Inverse Association ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Age Related

Healthy aging is usually accompanied by changes in the functional modular organization of the human brain, which may result in the decline of cognition and underlying brain dysfunction. However, the relationship between age-related brain functional modular structure differences and cognition remain debatable. In this study, we investigated the age-associated differences of modules and hubs from young, middle and old age groups, using resting-state fMRI data from a large cross-sectional adulthood sample. We first divided the subjects into three age groups and constructed an individual-level network for each subject. Subsequently, a module-guided group-level network construction method was applied to form a weighted network for each group from which functional modules were detected. The intra- and inter-modular connectivities were observed negatively correlated with age. According to the detected modules, we found the number of connector hubs in the young group was more than middle-age and old group, while the quantity of provincial hubs in middle-age group was discovered more than other two groups. Further ROI-wise analysis shows that different hubs have distinct age-associated trajectories of intra- and inter-modular connections, which suggests the different types of topological role transitions in functional networks across age groups. Our results indicated an inverse association between functional segregation/integration with age, which demonstrated age-associated differences in communication effeciency. This study provides a new perspective and useful information to better understand the normal aging of brain networks.

scholarly journals Giving vs. losing: age differences in decisions about charitable donations

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erika Sparrow
Keyword(s):  
Age Differences ◽  
Intertemporal Choice ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Healthy Older Adults ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Financial Decision ◽  
Gains And Losses ◽  
Effect Of Age ◽  
Related Increase

In addition to making decisions about gains and losses that affect only ourselves, often in life we make decisions that benefit others. Research on lifespan changes in motivation suggests that altruistic motives become stronger with age. However, few studies have explored the effect of age on decisions that affect others. The current study used a realistic financial decision making task involving choices for gains, losses, and donations. Each decision involved an intertemporal choice, in which the participant selected either a smaller-sooner or a larger-later option that could affect their bonus payout. Participants included 36 healthy younger adults (M = 25.1 years) and 36 healthy older adults (M = 70.4 years). Both age groups chose more larger-later donations than larger-later losses, but the magnitude of this effect was amplified in older relative to younger adults. These findings suggest that intertemporal choices may be sensitive to an age-related increase in altruistic motivation

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