scholarly journals Socioemotional Goals and Definitions of Emotion Terms: A Qualitative Analysis Across Age

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 774-774
Author(s):  
Irina Orlovsky ◽  
Rebecca Ready ◽  
Bruna Martins-Klein

Abstract Major theories of adult development posit that knowledge about emotion might evolve across the lifespan. Socioemotional Selectivity Theory (SST) and the Strength and Vulnerability Integration (SAVI) models imply that the manner in which older (OA) and younger adults (YA) conceptualize emotions may differ in valence, arousal, reference to social partners, time perspective, and the self. Quantitative accounts of age differences in conceptualizations of emotion-terms offer mixed support for theoretical expectations, but many predictions have yet to be tested qualitatively. In this study, 90 OA and 210 YA provided narrative descriptions of 11 (5 positive, 6 negative) emotion-terms. Responses were coded on valence, reference to self/others, and arousal. O/YA used similar synonyms to define emotion-terms. As predicted, YA used high arousal language in their definitions of negative (OR = 10.29, p = 0.018) and positive terms more than OA (i.e. Happy: OR = 1.27, p<0.001); OA referenced other persons such as family and friends (pos: OR = 0.13, p<0.001; neg: OA = 0.32, p=0.002) more than YA. Contrary to predictions, OA self-referenced more often than YA in positive (OR = 0.12, p=0.001) and negative definitions (OR= 0.11, p=0.004); this may be attributed to OA providing more situational examples in their responses than YA. Somewhat consistent with SAVI and SST, OA may reference high-arousal states less when conceptualizing emotions and associate their definitions more with social partners than YA. Future research should address OA greater use of situational examples when defining emotion terms, motivational factors and emotional impact of these age differences.

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S278-S278
Author(s):  
Amy Knepple Carney ◽  
Julie Patrick

Abstract Socioemotional selectivity theory positis that when we feel our time as limited, when a person ages, emotion based goals become a priority (Carstensen, Isaacowitz, & Charles, 1999). Although previous studies have shown that all age groups benefit from a connection to nature (CN; Bisceglia, Perlman, Schaack, & Jenkins, 2009; Han, 2008; Mayer et al., 2009), there have been no studies conducted to determine if there are age differences in CN and how that relation contributes to positive affect. Analyses were conducted with a sample size of 152 participants with an average age of 37.55 years (SD = 15.64; Range 18 -89). Age was significantly positively associated with CN, r(151)=.16, p<.05. Additionally, an ANOVA showed that middle-aged to older adults reporting significantly higher CN than younger adults. The relation of positive affect to age and CN was then examined. In the analysis examining the effects of age and CN on positive affect, the model was significant, F(3, 146)=8.48, p<.05, R2 = .15. Both, CN, and age, uniquely contributed to the variance accounted for on positive affect, although, the interaction of CN and age did not uniquely contribute to the variance. These results may be indicative of socioemotional selectively theory, in that older adults were choosing connection to nature because it fulfilled more emotional activities/goals than the younger adults in the study. Because previous research has all but ignored the association of CN and age and their relation to positive affect, it should be considered in future research.


2019 ◽  
Vol 75 (1) ◽  
pp. 85-95 ◽  
Author(s):  
Corinna E Löckenhoff ◽  
Gregory R Samanez-Larkin

Abstract Objectives Prior research has revealed age differences in the preferred timing of monetary outcomes, but results are inconsistent across studies. The present study examined the role of task type, outcome characteristics, and a range of theoretically implicated covariates that may contribute to variations in age effects. Method Two types of intertemporal choice paradigms (temporal discounting and sequence construction) were administered to a diverse life-span sample (n = 287, aged 18–87). The design experimentally manipulated outcome delay (months vs years), amount (hundreds vs thousands), and valence (gain vs loss) while statistically controlling for a range of potential covariates including demographics, affect, personality, time perspective, subjective health, and numeracy. Results In the temporal discounting task, no significant age differences were observed and this pattern did not differ by outcome delay, amount, or valence. In the sequence-construction task, age was associated with a preference for sequences of decreasing impact in the gain condition but not in the loss condition, whereas outcome delay and amount did not moderate age effects. Age patterns in discounting and sequences preferences remained unchanged after controlling for covariates. Discussion These findings converge with prior studies reporting weak or null effects of age in temporal discounting tasks and suggest that inconsistent results are not due to variations in outcome valence, delay, or amount across studies. Findings also add to the scarce evidence for age differences sequence-preferences. After discussing methodological limitations, we consider implications for future research and practice.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S127-S128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yochai Z Shavit ◽  
Laura L Carstensen

Abstract Workforces today are more age-diverse than ever before. Despite widespread beliefs that older workers are less productive than younger workers, when productivity is measured at the team level, the presence of older workers appears to positively contribute to productivity. Underlying reasons for this finding have been poorly understood. Socioemotional selectivity theory (SST) posits that goals change with age and that when time-horizons grow increasingly limited people prefer activities that hold meaning in their pursuit, such as helping others. Reasoning from SST, we hypothesized that age is associated with a preference for helping colleagues. We further hypothesized that expanding time-horizons would reduce age differences such that both younger and older people would prefer projects that help colleagues. 555 workers, aged 20-75, were assigned to one of three experimental conditions where time-horizons were expanded, constrained or not mentioned (control), and were asked to indicate their preferences for projects that benefitted themselves or others. Results from multinomial logistic regression show that collapsing across conditions, age was positively associated with a preference for projects helping friends or colleagues over ones that were career advancing, and participants were more likely to work on a helping project over one that would take the company in a new direction regardless of age. We further found effects of manipulating time horizons- in both the expanded and limited occupational time-horizons conditions workers were less likely to prefer helping compared to advancing their careers, and the positive association between age and preference for helping was attenuated.


2021 ◽  
pp. 66-83
Author(s):  
Hannah Wolfe ◽  
Derek Isaacowitz

This chapter considers the role of motivation in emotion-cognition links and how goals may relate to age differences (and similarities) in emotion regulation. Socioemotional selectivity theory (SST) posits that, as their future time perspective shrinks, older adults become more motivated to prioritize their emotional well-being and exhibit “positivity effects” in attention and memory. After reviewing basic evidence on age-related positivity effects, the chapter turns to studies that have attempted to highlight the role of goals specifically in contributing to age-related positivity effects. While some studies suggest that goals are important in producing age differences in emotion-cognition links, others have not found support for clear links to goals. The chapter considers these mixed findings in the context of recent work suggesting fewer age differences in emotion regulation than might be expected, as well as presents goals other than emotion regulation that may drive age differences in cognition.


2015 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 116-124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vera Pedragosa ◽  
Rui Biscaia ◽  
Abel Correia

Previous studies have suggested that consumption-related emotions are important to understand post-purchase reactions. This study examines the relationship between fitness consumers' emotions and overall satisfaction. After an initial step of free-thought listing and content validity, followed by a pre-test, a survey was conducted among consumers of five different fitness centers (n=786). The questionnaire included measures to assess positive and negative emotions, as well as overall satisfaction with the fitness center. The results gathered through a structural equation model provide evidence that negative emotion experienced by consumers impacts negatively overall satisfaction, while positive emotion have a positive effect on overall satisfaction. These findings suggest managerial implications, such as the need to collect consumers' perceptions of both tangible and intangible aspects of the services, listen costumers' opinions in a regular basis, and provide regular training to staff members, in order to identify the triggers of positive emotions and contribute to increased levels of overall satisfaction. Guidelines for future research within the fitness context are also suggested.


Author(s):  
Victoria L. Claypoole ◽  
Alexis R. Neigel ◽  
James L. Szalma

Observation is a common occurrence within the workplace, and can often manifest as either peer-to-peer monitoring or supervisor-to-peer monitoring. To date, there is a limited body of research that describes changes in performance due to either a positive or negative relationship between supervisors and employees. The present study reports qualitative data on supervisor-to-employee relationships and how the quality of the relationship can alter human performance. The results indicated that relationship with a supervisor was related to perceived performance under direct observation. Women were more likely to report a positive relationship with their supervisor, yet also indicated a negative emotion toward being monitored. These results are important in understanding how supervisor presence influences individual performance when completing job-specific tasks. The implications for future research are discussed.


GeroPsych ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 163-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hsiao-Wen Liao ◽  
Laura L. Carstensen

Abstract. The articles in the present volume enhance the understanding of the role of perceived time in human development. Together, they point to the multifaceted nature of perceived future time and the associations different aspects of time have with goals, preferences, and well-being. Specifically, the articles showcase antecedents and consequences of perceived time left in life, consider ways to optimize measurement of future time horizons, and advance novel questions about the neural correlates of domain-specific aspects of subjective time. Findings are considered within the framework of socioemotional selectivity theory. Future directions for research on time horizons are discussed.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 410-410
Author(s):  
Xin Yao Lin ◽  
Margie Lachman

Abstract Social media platforms allow people to connect and share content online (e.g., Facebook, Twitter). Although older adults are becoming more frequent users of social media, there continue to be mixed views on whether social media positively or negatively impacts well-being. Past studies have mainly focused on cross-sectional analyses for individual differences. However, both the time spent on social media and one’s affect can fluctuate on a daily basis. Thus, it is important to understand how the relationship between daily social media usage and affect varies within individuals from day to day. The current study adds to the literature by examining whether daily variations in time spent with social media are related to daily positive and negative affect and whether there are age differences in these relationships. The current study used an eight-day daily diary from the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) Refresher dataset for 782 participants (ages 25-75). Multilevel modeling results revealed that age moderated the relationship between daily time spent on social media and negative affect: for younger adults, on days when they spent more time on social media, they had more negative affect. For older adults, on days when they spent more time on social media, they had less negative affect. Surprisingly, daily time spent on social media was not related to daily positive affect, nor did this relationship differ by age. Implications for future research are discussed with a focus on how social media usage can contribute to daily well-being for adults of different ages.


2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 306-310
Author(s):  
Simona GROSSMAN ◽  
◽  
Ioan-Bradu IAMANDESCU ◽  

Shame is a complex emotional state, a universal experience, whose influence can be extensive. Elusive by its nature, shame can escape the attention of specialists. Discussions on shame as a separate and distinct emotion are rare, most often being denied, hidden or concealed by more socially acceptable emotions. Offspring of a disappointed Ideal Self, shame reflects on Self Respect and Self Image, both important and influential components of the psyche, with major implications in personality. Being a strong negative emotion, shame can have an important and quite extensive influence on mental health through its numerous somatic correlates intensely and widely expressed at different organic level on somatovisceral activity – thus, resulting in the appearance of numerous disorders and psychosomatic diseases – among them obesity, which was chosen by the author as the subject of a future research.


1989 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 49-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul B. Cragg ◽  
Malcolm King

Numerous studies have attempted to gain a greater understanding of small firm performance with the intent of isolating factors which are important for success. The studies, some with serious limitations, suggest that many different variables are Important to success. A further study of 179 small, metal goods manufacturers enabled some of the specific relationships to be re-examined, but with mixed support for previous findings. Various suggestions are made for future research studies. A causal model of small firm financial performance is proposed.


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