Does perceived normativity of intergenerational contact enhance the effects of imagined intergenerational contact?

2020 ◽  
pp. 136843022093454
Author(s):  
Craig Fowler ◽  
Jake Harwood
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Intergroup Contact ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Intergenerational Communication ◽  
Task Repetition ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Third Person

Two experiments investigated effects of imagined intergroup contact (IIC) on young adults’ stereotypical perceptions of and intention to communicate with older adults. Both studies tested a third-person variant of IIC (extended IIC). Also, Study 1 explicitly manipulated the perceived normativity of intergenerational contact by providing relevant information, and Study 2 implicitly manipulated perceived normativity via task repetition. In Study 1, IIC (including extended IIC) had few effects. However, the explicit norms manipulation changed perceptions of norms, which improved perceptions of older adults and increased desire for future intergenerational communication. In Study 2, some forms of IIC reduced intergenerational anxiety, which translated into more positive intergenerational perceptions. Moreover, repeated IIC had positive effects on intergenerational perceptions that were mediated by perceptions of norms and that persisted for a week. We advocate more attention to the effect of IIC on norms, and to the conditions under which IIC works (and does not).

Present-Future Self-Continuity and Intergenerational Communication as Predictors of Young Adults’ Evaluations of Older Adults and Attitudes Toward Aging

2021 ◽  
pp. 0261927X2110685
Author(s):  
Jessica Gasiorek
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Intergenerational Communication ◽  
Perceived Similarity ◽  
Attitudes Toward Aging ◽  
Future Self

This study examined how young adults’ perceived similarity to their future self at age 70 ( present-future self-continuity) and experiences of environmental “chatter” about aging predicted their views of older adults, and their anxiety and efficacy related to aging. Experiencing nonaccommodation from older adults predicted greater anxiety, lower efficacy, and more negative views of older adults; greater present-future self-continuity predicted higher efficacy about aging. Young adults’ present-future self-continuity also moderated the effects of accommodation from older adults on these outcomes.

Perceptions of Intergenerational Communication across Cultures: An Italian Case

2002 ◽  
Vol 95 (2) ◽  
pp. 583-591 ◽  
Author(s):  
Howard Giles ◽  
Dawna Ballard ◽  
Robert M. McCann
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Negative Affect ◽  
Southern Italy ◽  
Intergenerational Communication ◽  
Cultural Groups ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Italian Case ◽  
Italian American ◽  
Anglo American

406 Anglo-American, Italian-American, and Italian (Northern and Southern Italy) students were asked to evaluate past conversations with same-age peers, i.e., 17 to 30 years, and older adults, i.e., 65 years and older While according older adults more deference, all cultural groups perceived older adults as more rigid and nonaccommodating than younger adults. Exchanges with older adults were reported as having more negative affect than were those with other young adults, and were also more likely to be avoided.

Production Improves Visual and Auditory Text Memory in Younger and Older Adults

Gerontology ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Michal Icht ◽  
Riki Taitelbaum-Swead ◽  
Yaniv Mama
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Superior Performance ◽  
Structured Learning ◽  
Auditory Modality ◽  
No Production ◽  
Text Memory

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> The production effect refers to memory benefits for materials that were produced (e.g., read aloud) relative to not produced (e.g., read silently) at study. Previous works have found a production benefit for younger and older adults studying written words and for young adults studying written text. The present study aimed to extend these findings by examining the effect of production on text memory in younger and older adults, in the visual, and in the auditory modalities. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> A group of young adults (<i>n</i> = 30) and a group of older adults (<i>n</i> = 30) learned informational texts, presented either visually or aurally. In each text, half of the sentences were learned by production (reading aloud or writing) and half by no production (reading silently or listening), followed by fill-in-the-blank tests. <b><i>Results:</i></b> An overall memory performance was found to be similar for both groups, with an advantage for the auditory modality. For both groups, more test items were filled in correctly when the relevant information appeared in the produced than in nonproduced sentences, showing the learners’ ability to use distinctiveness information. The production effects were larger for older than younger adults, in both modalities. <b><i>Discussion:</i></b> Since older adults are increasingly engage in learning, it is important to develop high-quality structured learning programs for this population. The current results demonstrate the preserved ability of older adults to successfully memorize texts and may guide planning of such programs. Specifically, since learning via the auditory modality yields superior performance for learners across age-groups, it may be recommended for text learning. Because older adults showed larger benefits from active production of the study material, it may be used to better remember educationally relevant material.

scholarly journals Swimming as a Positive Moderator of Cognitive Aging: A Cross-Sectional Study with a Multitask Approach

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amira Abou-Dest ◽  
Cédric T. Albinet ◽  
Geoffroy Boucard ◽  
Michel Audiffren
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Information Processing ◽  
Processing Speed ◽  
Cognitive Aging ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Information Processing Speed ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Potential Benefits

This study examined whether regular swimming in older adults was related to better cognitive functioning and whether there were any global or selective positive effects of this physical activity (PA) on cognition. The cognitive performances of three groups of sixteen volunteer participants (young adults, sedentary older adults, and older adults who regularly practice swimming) were evaluated using a multitask approach. All participants performed a battery of ten tasks: two reaction time tasks assessing information processing speed and eight experimental tasks assessing three executive functions (EFs), (behavioral inhibition, working memory updating, and cognitive flexibility). The results showed that young adults performed significantly better than older adults on all examined cognitive functions. However, in older adults, regular swimming was related to better performance on the three EFs, but not on information processing speed. More precisely, five experimental tasks out of the eight tapping EFs were shown to be sensitive to positive effects from swimming practice. Finally, the demonstrated benefits of swimming on EFs were not necessarily linked to better cardiorespiratory fitness. The present findings illustrate the validity of using a multitask approach in examining the potential benefits of regular PA on cognitive aging.

scholarly journals DEVELOPMENT OF A SCALE TO MEASURE CONTACT WITH OLDER ADULTS

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S81-S81
Author(s):  
Robert C Intrieri ◽  
Maria Kurth
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Factor Model ◽  
Intergroup Contact ◽  
Group Status ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Confirmatory Factor ◽  
Common Goals ◽  
Group Member ◽  
Three Factor

Abstract Allport (1954) hypothesized that intergroup contact would reduce prejudice that an in-group member would experience toward an out-group member. Allport held that positive effects of intergroup contact would occur when four conditions were met: (a) equal group status within the situation, (b) common goals, (c) intergroup cooperation, and (d) the support of authorities, law, or custom. Although contact with older adults is an important influence on attitudes toward older people, no psychometrically adequate measures of contact exist. Specifically, this study examined the factor structure of an instrument to measure contact with older adults. The convenience sample consisted of 188 women and 282 men (n = 470). Mean ages for men and women were 21.06 (SD = 2.28) and 20.88 (SD = 3.09), respectively (Mtotal = 20.99, SDtotal = 2.63). Participants were predominantly Caucasian (n=295, 62.6%), African American (n=67, 14.2%), Hispanic/Latino/a (n=63, 13.4%), and other minorities comprising the remaining 9.8%. Results of a confirmatory factor analysis showed the three factor model exhibited a reasonable fit to the data X2 (41, N = 471) = 281.81; p&lt;.0001, CFI =.954; TLI =.938; RMSEA =. 000 (90% CI, 0.100-0.124) SRMS = .054. Results and further adjustments to the model will be discussed.

scholarly journals Age-Related Differences in Arm and Trunk Responses to First and Repeated Exposure to Laterally Induced Imbalances

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 574
Author(s):  
Ruth Y. Akinlosotu ◽  
Nesreen Alissa ◽  
John D. Sorkin ◽  
George F. Wittenberg ◽  
Kelly P. Westlake
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Initial Step ◽  
Neck Muscle ◽  
Balance Recovery ◽  
Balance Confidence ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Lift Off ◽  
Step Type

The objective of this study was to examine age-related differences in arm and trunk responses during first and repeated step induced balance perturbations. Young and older adults received 10 trials of unpredictable lateral platform translations. Outcomes included maximum arm and trunk displacement within 1 s of perturbation and at first foot lift off (FFLO), arm and neck muscle activity as recorded using electromyography (EMG), initial step type, balance confidence, and percentage of harness-assisted trials. Compared to young adults, older adults demonstrated greater arm and trunk angular displacements during the first trial, which were present at FFLO and negatively associated with balance confidence. Unlike young adults, recovery steps in older adults were directed towards the fall with a narrowed base of support. Over repeated trials, rapid habituation of first-trial responses of bilateral arm and trunk displacement and EMG amplitude was demonstrated in young adults, but was absent or limited in older adults. Older adults also relied more on harness assistance during balance recovery. Exaggerated arm and trunk responses to sudden lateral balance perturbations in older adults appear to influence step type and balance recovery. Associations of these persistently amplified movements with an increased reliance on harness assistance suggest that training to reduce these deficits could have positive effects in older adults with and without neurological disorders.

scholarly journals Sleep-dependent prospective memory consolidation is impaired with aging

SLEEP ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruth L F Leong ◽  
June C Lo ◽  
Michael W L Chee
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Prospective Memory ◽  
Memory Consolidation ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Categorization Task ◽  
Semantic Categorization ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Sleep Benefit

Abstract Study Objectives Existing literature suggests that sleep-dependent memory consolidation is impaired in older adults but may be preserved for personally relevant information. Prospective memory (PM) involves remembering to execute future intentions in a timely manner and has behavioural importance. As previous work suggests that N3 sleep is important for PM in young adults, we investigated if the role of N3 sleep in PM consolidation would be maintained in older adults. Methods 49 young adults (mean age±SD:21.8±1.61 years) and 49 healthy older adults (mean age±SD:65.7±6.30 years) were randomized into sleep and wake groups. After a semantic categorization task, participants encoded intentions comprising 4 related and 4 unrelated cue-action pairs. They were instructed to remember to perform these actions in response to cue words presented during a second semantic categorization task 12h later that encompassed either daytime wake (09:00-21:00) or overnight sleep with polysomnography (21:00-09:00). Results The significant condition x age group x relatedness interaction suggested that the sleep benefit on PM intentions varied according to age group and relatedness (p=0.01). For related intentions, sleep relative to wake benefitted young adults’ performance (p&lt;0.001) but not older adults (p = 0.30). For unrelated intentions, sleep did not improve PM for either age group. While post-encoding N3 was significantly associated with related intentions’ execution in young adults (r=0.43, p=0.02), this relationship was not found for older adults (r=-0.07, p=0.763). Conclusions The age-related impairment of sleep-dependent memory consolidation extends to PM. Our findings add to an existing body of work suggesting that the link between sleep and memory is functionally weakened in older adulthood.

scholarly journals 046 Sleep-dependent prospective memory consolidation is impaired with aging

SLEEP ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 44 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. A20-A20
Author(s):  
Ruth Leong ◽  
June Lo ◽  
Michael Chee
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Prospective Memory ◽  
Memory Consolidation ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Categorization Task ◽  
Semantic Categorization ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Sleep Benefit

Abstract Introduction Existing literature suggests that sleep-dependent memory consolidation is impaired in older adults but may be preserved for personally relevant information. Prospective memory (PM) involves remembering to execute future intentions in a timely manner and has behavioural importance. As previous work suggests that N3 sleep is important for PM in young adults, we investigated if the role of N3 sleep in PM consolidation would be maintained in older adults. Methods 49 young adults (mean age±SD: 21.8±1.61 years) and 49 healthy older adults (mean age±SD: 65.7±6.30 years) were randomized into sleep and wake groups. After a semantic categorization task, participants encoded intentions comprising 4 related and 4 unrelated cue-action pairs. They were instructed to remember to perform these actions in response to cue words presented during a second semantic categorization task 12h later that encompassed either daytime wake (09:00-21:00) or overnight sleep with polysomnography (21:00-09:00). Results The significant condition x age group x relatedness interaction suggested that the sleep benefit on PM intentions varied according to age group and relatedness (p=0.01). For related intentions, sleep relative to wake benefitted young adults’ performance (p&lt;0.001) but not older adults (p=0.30). For unrelated intentions, sleep did not improve PM for either age group. While post-encoding N3 was significantly associated with related intentions’ execution in young adults (r=0.43, p=0.02), this relationship was not found for older adults (r=-0.07, p=0.763). Conclusion The age-related impairment of sleep-dependent memory consolidation extends to prospective memory. Our findings add to an existing body of work suggesting that the link between sleep and memory is functionally weakened in older adulthood. Support (if any) This work was supported by the National Medical Research Council, Singapore (NMRC/STaR/015/2013) and the National Research Foundation, Singapore (NRF2016_SOL002).

scholarly journals Knowledge guides attention to goal-relevant information in older adults

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maverick E. Smith ◽  
Lester C. Loschky ◽  
Heather R. Bailey
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Free Recall ◽  
Episodic Memory ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Relevant Information ◽  
Semantic Knowledge ◽  
Attention And Memory ◽  
Everyday Activities ◽  
Age Related

AbstractHow does viewers’ knowledge guide their attention while they watch everyday events, how does it affect their memory, and does it change with age? Older adults have diminished episodic memory for everyday events, but intact semantic knowledge. Indeed, research suggests that older adults may rely on their semantic memory to offset impairments in episodic memory, and when relevant knowledge is lacking, older adults’ memory can suffer. Yet, the mechanism by which prior knowledge guides attentional selection when watching dynamic activity is unclear. To address this, we studied the influence of knowledge on attention and memory for everyday events in young and older adults by tracking their eyes while they watched videos. The videos depicted activities that older adults perform more frequently than young adults (balancing a checkbook, planting flowers) or activities that young adults perform more frequently than older adults (installing a printer, setting up a video game). Participants completed free recall, recognition, and order memory tests after each video. We found age-related memory deficits when older adults had little knowledge of the activities, but memory did not differ between age groups when older adults had relevant knowledge and experience with the activities. Critically, results showed that knowledge influenced where viewers fixated when watching the videos. Older adults fixated less goal-relevant information compared to young adults when watching young adult activities, but they fixated goal-relevant information similarly to young adults, when watching more older adult activities. Finally, results showed that fixating goal-relevant information predicted free recall of the everyday activities for both age groups. Thus, older adults may use relevant knowledge to more effectively infer the goals of actors, which guides their attention to goal-relevant actions, thus improving their episodic memory for everyday activities.

scholarly journals Young Adults’ Perceptions of Intergenerational Communication: Mongolian and American Data

2012 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 74-86
Author(s):  
Charles W. Choi ◽  
Howard Giles ◽  
Christopher Hajek
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Communication Satisfaction ◽  
Intergenerational Communication ◽  
Communication Behavior ◽  
Regression Analyses ◽  
Middle Aged ◽  
Unique Role ◽  
Cultural Contexts

This study examines Mongolian and American young adults’ perceptions of intergenerational communication, specifically with respect to age stereotypes, norms of respect, communication behavior, and communication satisfaction.  Using the Communication Predicament of Aging Model as a theoretical framework, the relationships between these variables are investigated using regression analyses.  Young adults from both cultural contexts were asked to evaluate prior interactions with both middle-aged and older adults.  The findings indicate a difference between how each generation is perceived, and the unique role of the middle-aged generation in Mongolia is evident.

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