Prioritization of self-relevant perspectives in ageing

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Psychology
• Human Development

Background:

• Older adults often exhibit diminished perspective-taking abilities.
• Age-related self-relevance sensitivity may influence cognitive functions.
• Understanding age differences in social cognition is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if age-related self-relevance sensitivity aids perspective-taking in older adults.
• To examine age differences in processing self- versus other-associated avatars.
• To determine how age affects perspective-taking under different task demands.

Main Methods:

• Employed a perceptual matching task and two visual perspective-taking paradigms.
• Compared younger (18-20 years) and older (60-83 years) adults.
• Utilized self- and other-associated avatars in virtual environments.

Main Results:

• Both age groups showed similar self-bias in a matching task and a 3rd-person-3rd-person (3PP-3PP) perspective-taking task.
• Age differences emerged in a 1st-person-3rd-person (1PP-3PP) task, where older adults prioritized self- and first-person perspectives.
• Older adults' perspective-taking was modulated by the task's reliance on their own first-person viewpoint.

Conclusions:

• Age-related self-relevance sensitivity can benefit perspective-taking, particularly when the first-person perspective is task-relevant.
• Older adults prioritize self- and first-person perspectives more than younger adults in specific contexts.
• These findings highlight the nuanced impact of aging on social cognition and self-perception.