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Updated: Jun 4, 2026

Assessment of Age-related Changes in Cognitive Functions Using EmoCogMeter, a Novel Tablet-computer Based Approach
Published on: February 14, 2014
Emotion perception explains age-related differences in the perception of social gaffes
Jamin Halberstadt1, Ted Ruffman, Janice Murray
1Department of Psychology, University of Otago. jhalbers@psy.otago.ac.nz
Abstract:
Young (<36 years) and older (>59) adults viewed videos in which the same individual committed a faux pas, or acted appropriately, toward his coworkers. Older participants did not discriminate appropriate and inappropriate behaviors as well as young participants. Older participants also scored lower than young participants on an extensive battery of emotion recognition tests, and emotion performance fully mediated age differences in faux pas discrimination. The results provide further evidence for the role of emotion perception in a range of important social deficits.
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