scholarly journals Generativity in Life Review: Discovering Life Lessons and Wisdom in Naturalistic Intergenerational Conversations

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 978-979
Author(s):  
Patricia Chilton ◽  
Cindy Woolverton ◽  
Elizabeth Glisky ◽  
Matthias Mehl ◽  
Matthew Grilli
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Personal Growth ◽  
Independent Living ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Emotional Valence ◽  
Life Review ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Life Lessons ◽  
Age Segregation ◽  
Intergenerational Interaction

Abstract According to the theory of generativity, one would expect older adults to inherently feature life lessons in naturalistic conversations with younger adults. Little though, is known about the process of these conversations, and to what extent they convey wisdom characteristics. In this project, intergenerational conversations between university students and older adults living in assisted and independent living communities were analyzed to identify life lessons within older adults’ informal life reviews. In the original study, 37 young and 52 older adults engaged in an intergenerational interaction as part of an undergraduate course. These conversations were recorded with participants’ consent, and transcribed with identifying information removed. For the current project, we analyzed 15 of these recorded conversations, averaging 46 minutes each between 10 students and 5 older adults to (1) develop a coding scheme and procedure to examine life lessons in intergenerational conversations, and (2) investigate whether wisdom characteristics are embedded into life lessons shared in this context. On average, each older adult referenced 4 life lessons (SD = 2) per conversation, which were coded for the following constructs: meaning making, personal growth, emotional valence, wisdom characteristics, life lesson type, and autobiographical memory type. Exploratory analyses suggest life lessons are inherently integrated into naturalistic intergenerational conversations, and that reflectivity is the most frequently expressed wisdom characteristic. This supports previous research identifying reflectivity as key to wisdom, and to the process of generativity. Further analysis is needed to illuminate the value of intergenerational conversations, particularly in a time of age segregation and ageism.

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.

scholarly journals AGING AND FEELING CURIOUS: A TIME-SAMPLING STUDY

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S839-S839
Author(s):  
Li Chu ◽  
Helene H Fung
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Personal Growth ◽  
Positive Emotions ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Optimal Level ◽  
Dual Process ◽  
Positive Outcomes ◽  
Time Sampling ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
New Information

Abstract Curiosity is commonly defined as “the desire for new information and experience.” While curiosity has been associated with numerous positive outcomes (e.g., improved well-being, better cognitive performance and longer life expectancy, some studies suggested that curiosity declined with age. However, very few studies actually attempt to examine why curiosity may be lower among older adults. Moreover, scholars disagreed on “why” people feel curious. According to the dual process theory (Spielberger & Starr, 1994), curiosity is induced by optimal level of uncertainty and anxiety with the desire to reduce these aversive feelings. However, the personal growth facilitation model (Kashdan, Rose, & Fincham, 2002) posits that people are curious intrinsically for one’s own growth, which is associated with positive affects. Therefore, the present study aims to examine age differences in the affective profile of feeling curious by comparing the momentary affective experience of curiosity between younger and older adults. In this study, we conducted a 2-week time-sampling study with 78 younger adults (age 19-29) and 79 older adults (age 60-85) from Hong Kong. Multilevel modeling analyses demonstrated a positive relationship between curiosity and positive emotions for both younger (β=.29, p<.01) and older adults (β=.70, p<.01). Interestingly, anxiousness was positively associated with younger adults’ curiosity (β=.09, p=.01) but not for older adults (β=.06, p=.29). Our study supported both theories, but suggested that one may be more dominant among older adults. These findings have important implications for future interventions to reduce anxiousness to encourage older adults to keep an open-minded attitude towards novelties.

Loss in the Life Story: Remembering Death and Illness Across Adulthood

2019 ◽  
Vol 123 (1) ◽  
pp. 97-123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily L. Mroz ◽  
Susan Bluck ◽  
Shubam Sharma ◽  
Hsiao-wen Liao
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Personal Growth ◽  
Life Story ◽  
Psychosocial Outcomes ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Life Event ◽  
Loved One ◽  
Positive View ◽  
Loss Event

The experience of loss has not often been studied in the life story literature. Life disruption when loss of a loved one occurs may make loss events distinct, even from other challenges, when recalled. Optimally, individuals incorporate such events into their life story in a way that allows them to reflect positively on their life overall. We suggest that telling narratives that represent loss as leading to personal growth or as highlighting one’s connectedness to others may allow a positive view of life overall. In contrast, ruminating may signal a lack of meaningful integration of the event. The current study investigates personal growth from, communion in, and rumination about memories of past loss events. It also determines how these factors relate to positive reflection on one’s life overall. Age was explored as a moderator of these relations. Participants (29 younger adults, 40 older adults) narrated an autobiographical loss event and, for comparison, a non-loss challenging life event and a neutral event. Narratives were self-rated for rumination and extent of resultant personal growth, and reliably content-coded for themes of communion. Participants also completed a measure of positive reflection on their life. Loss narratives resulted in more personal growth and contained more communion themes than other challenging or neutral events. Greater loss-related personal growth predicted more positive life reflection for younger adults. How individuals recall and incorporate loss into their life story may relate differentially to psychosocial outcomes in different life phases.

scholarly journals The Effect of Stimulus Valence on Lexical Retrieval in Younger and Older Adults

2017 ◽  
Vol 60 (7) ◽  
pp. 2081-2089 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deena Schwen Blackett ◽  
Stacy M. Harnish ◽  
Jennifer P. Lundine ◽  
Alexandra Zezinka ◽  
Eric W. Healy
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Naming Latency ◽  
Emotional Valence ◽  
Lexical Retrieval ◽  
Emotional Stimuli ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Attentional Resources ◽  
Negative Images ◽  
Naming Latencies

Purpose Although there is evidence that emotional valence of stimuli impacts lexical processes, there is limited work investigating its specific impact on lexical retrieval. The current study aimed to determine the degree to which emotional valence of pictured stimuli impacts naming latencies in healthy younger and older adults. Method Eighteen healthy younger adults and 18 healthy older adults named positive, negative, and neutral images, and reaction time was measured. Results Reaction times for positive and negative images were significantly longer than reaction times for neutral images. Reaction times for positive and negative images were not significantly different. Whereas older adults demonstrated significantly longer naming latencies overall than younger adults, the discrepancy in latency with age was far greater when naming emotional pictures. Conclusions Emotional arousal of pictures appears to impact naming latency in younger and older adults. We hypothesize that the increase in naming latency for emotional stimuli is the result of a necessary disengagement of attentional resources from the emotional images prior to completion of the naming task. We propose that this process may affect older adults disproportionately due to a decline in attentional resources as part of normal aging, combined with a greater attentional preference for emotional stimuli.

scholarly journals Factors That Motivate Older Adults to Participate in Research: Typologies and Implications

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 554-554
Author(s):  
Zhe He ◽  
Mia Lustria ◽  
Shubo Tian ◽  
Maedeh Agharazidermani ◽  
Walter Boot ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Older Adult ◽  
Personal Growth ◽  
Community Sample ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Reminder System ◽  
Aging Studies ◽  
Research Volunteers ◽  
Retention Practices ◽  
Adult Volunteers

Abstract A key challenge for scholars who study aging is identifying a pool of research volunteers willing to participate. Toolkits and strategies acknowledge the differences in recruitment needed for older adults relative to younger adults, but there is little information about variations among older adult research volunteers. Based on a community sample of older adults age 60+, this study evaluates differences across seven specific motivators across three broad categories: values/altruism, personal growth/improvement, and immediate gratification. We then identify and evaluate four typologies of older adult volunteers based on the combinations of motivations the older adults in our sample identify as important to participation in research studies. Based on these analyses, we describe how our results might inform recruitment and retention practices in aging studies. Further, we will discuss how these results will help shape our technology-based reminder system with a greater understanding of motivations.

scholarly journals Meaning Making as a Central Mechanism of Dignity Therapy for Older Adults With Cancer

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 419-419
Author(s):  
Emily Mroz ◽  
Carma Bylund-Lincoln ◽  
Rachel Wisolmerski ◽  
Diana Wilkie ◽  
George Fitchett ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Personal Growth ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Vital Statistics ◽  
Central Mechanism ◽  
Older Americans ◽  
Making Meaning ◽  
Dignity Therapy ◽  
Past Life ◽  
Trained Provider

Abstract Nearly 500,000 older Americans die a cancer-related death each year (National Vital Statistics Report, 2018). Following a diagnosis of a serious illness like cancer, maintaining a sense of dignity is central to a patient’s wellbeing. Dignity Therapy (DT) was recently introduced as an intervention to enhance dignity for terminally ill patients (Chochinov et al., 2005). This therapy provides patients opportunities to foster a sense of dignity though making meaning of their lives (Hack et al., 2010). To date, whether meaning-making actually occurs as a central mechanism of effective DT has not been tested. The current study investigates (i) how often and in what forms meaning-making occurs during DT, and (ii) how patients’ baseline feelings of dignity relate to meaning-making during DT. Participants were 25 male and female cancer outpatients (M age = 63.08; SD = 5.72). They completed the Patient Dignity Inventory (Chochinov et al., 2008) and then participated in Dignity Therapy with a trained provider. Sessions were audio recorded, transcribed, and reliably content-analyzed for meaning-making using an established coding scheme (Park & Folkman, 1997). Content-analysis revealed that all patients made meaning of past life events at least once (range: 1-12 occurrences). Multiple forms of meaning-making emerged, with Finding Benefit and Personal Growth most common. Patients reporting more dignity-related distress prior to DT showed greater meaning-making during the DT session (r = .46, p < 0.05). This study provides foundational evidence that meaning-making is a key mechanism of Dignity Therapy, helping older adults with cancer enhance dignity at end-of-life.

Mortality Salience and Uncertainty Threat Among Younger vs. Older Adults

GeroPsych ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Christine Ma-Kellams ◽  
Ryan Harrison ◽  
My Ngoc Nguyen
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Terror Management Theory ◽  
Mortality Salience ◽  
Terror Management ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Uncertainty Management ◽  
Management Theory ◽  
Management Model ◽  
Younger Adults

Abstract. How do older versus younger individuals respond differently to existential threats? Although age brings emotional benefits that promote greater meaningfulness, it remains unclear how age influences reminders of death. Both terror management theory (TMT) and alternative frameworks (uncertainty management model – UMM, the meaning-making model – MMM) posit that individuals respond defensively to threat, but most of such studies focused on college-aged populations. Several TMT studies across the lifespan reached equivocal findings, and to our knowledge, no experiments have tested UMM/MMM across age groups. We tested how existential threats (i.e., mortality, uncertainty) predict defensive psychological distancing in younger/older adults. We found that older, but not younger, adults showed less defensiveness after existential threat.

scholarly journals Cultural Relevance Reduces the Enhanced Neural Processing of Positively Valenced Information in Older Adults

2019 ◽  
Vol 75 (10) ◽  
pp. 2075-2085 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xianmin Gong ◽  
Helene H Fung ◽  
Ginger Qinghong Zeng ◽  
Chun-Yu Tse
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Processing ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Emotional Valence ◽  
Cultural Relevance ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Positivity Effect ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Older Chinese ◽  
Dual Route Model

Abstract Objectives This study investigated (a) whether the age-related enhancement in processing positive relative to negative emotional information happened at the early and/or late processing stages and (b) if the age-related positivity effect was modulated by cultural relevance using event-related brain potential (ERP). Methods Seventeen younger and 19 older Chinese adults judged the emotional valence of Chinese and Western pictures while electroencephalogram (EEG) was recorded and analyzed by temporospatial principal component analysis to dissociate the processing stages. Results (a) Larger N100 for negative than positive pictures was observed in younger, but not older adults, while older but not younger adults showed larger late anterior P300 for positive than negative pictures. (b) Older adults showed larger early posterior P300 for positive than negative Western pictures, but not culturally relevant Chinese pictures; such modulation effect by cultural relevance was absent in younger adults. Discussion These findings suggest an age-related decrease in sensitivity to negative information in the earlier stage and an age-related increase in sensitivity to positive information in the later stage of cognitive processing. This supports a dual-route model of the age-related positivity effect. Moreover, the age-related positivity effect is more evident for stimuli with less cultural relevance.

scholarly journals Age Differences in the Affective Experience of State Curiosity

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 455-455
Author(s):  
Li Chu ◽  
Helene Fung
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Age Differences ◽  
Personal Growth ◽  
Emotional State ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Optimal Level ◽  
Dual Process ◽  
Time Sampling ◽  
Affective Experience ◽  
Younger Adults

Abstract Is feeling curious a pleasant, anxious or mixed feeling experience? Dual process theory posits that curiosity results from an optimal level of knowledge gap anxiety. Yet, personal growth facilitation model suggests that people are intrinsically curious, which is associated with positive affects. While curiosity may be pleasant or anxious, it may also be both. In fact, compared with younger adults, older adults were more likely to experience mixed emotions. However, very few studies investigated age differences in affective experience of curiosity, so the present study utilized a time-sampling dataset to address this question. This 14-day time-sampling study included 85 younger (43 females, age 18-30) and 83 older adults (40 females, age 60-85) who recorded momentary curiosity and affective experiences three times per day. Linear mixed-effects analysis revealed a significant 3-way interaction between age group, happiness and anxiousness on state curiosity (□=.20, SE=.05, p<.001). For younger adults, results suggested that curiosity was higher when they felt either happy or anxious but not when feeling both. Conversely, for older adults, curiosity was higher when they felt both happy and anxious concurrently. In other words, older adults were more likely to experience curiosity as a mixed emotional state, whereas younger adults were more likely to experience curiosity as a pure emotional state. This finding adds to the current mixed emotion and aging literature and has important implications for future interventions to enhance curiosity towards novelties for people from different age groups.

Cognitive Load Affects Speech Motor Performance Differently in Older and Younger Adults

2019 ◽  
Vol 62 (5) ◽  
pp. 1258-1277 ◽  
Author(s):  
Megan K. MacPherson
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Cognitive Load ◽  
Motor Performance ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Incongruent Condition ◽  
Sentence Production ◽  
Movement Duration ◽  
Production Task ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Speech Motor

PurposeThe aim of this study was to determine the impact of cognitive load imposed by a speech production task on the speech motor performance of healthy older and younger adults. Response inhibition, selective attention, and working memory were the primary cognitive processes of interest.MethodTwelve healthy older and 12 healthy younger adults produced multiple repetitions of 4 sentences containing an embedded Stroop task in 2 cognitive load conditions: congruent and incongruent. The incongruent condition, which required participants to suppress orthographic information to say the font colors in which color words were written, represented an increase in cognitive load relative to the congruent condition in which word text and font color matched. Kinematic measures of articulatory coordination variability and movement duration as well as a behavioral measure of sentence production accuracy were compared between groups and conditions and across 3 sentence segments (pre-, during-, and post-Stroop).ResultsIncreased cognitive load in the incongruent condition was associated with increased articulatory coordination variability and movement duration, compared to the congruent Stroop condition, for both age groups. Overall, the effect of increased cognitive load was greater for older adults than younger adults and was greatest in the portion of the sentence in which cognitive load was manipulated (during-Stroop), followed by the pre-Stroop segment. Sentence production accuracy was reduced for older adults in the incongruent condition.ConclusionsIncreased cognitive load involving response inhibition, selective attention, and working memory processes within a speech production task disrupted both the stability and timing with which speech was produced by both age groups. Older adults' speech motor performance may have been more affected due to age-related changes in cognitive and motoric functions that result in altered motor cognition.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document