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Characterizing age-related positivity effects in situation selection.
Molly Sands1, Kimberly Livingstone1, Derek Isaacowitz1
1Northeastern University.
International Journal of Behavioral Development
|November 6, 2018
Summary
Older adults do not differ from younger adults in situation selection for emotion regulation. However, age differences emerge in emotionally relevant or highly arousing contexts.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Gerontology
Background:
- Situation selection, a strategy for emotion regulation, involves choosing or avoiding situations based on anticipated emotions.
- This strategy is theorized to be particularly beneficial for older adults, but research on its age-related use and differences is limited and yields mixed results.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate overall age differences in situation selection as an emotion regulation strategy.
- To explore potential moderators, such as stimulus properties and information availability, influencing age differences in situation selection.
Main Methods:
- A "mini" meta-analysis was conducted to synthesize existing data from a specific situation selection paradigm.
- The study analyzed participant choices in hypothetical emotional situations to identify age-related patterns.
Main Results:
- No significant overall age differences were found in the types of emotional situations selected by younger and older adults.
- Age differences in situation selection became more pronounced in contexts with higher emotional relevance or arousal.
Conclusions:
- Situation selection may not differ fundamentally between younger and older adults across all contexts.
- The findings suggest that situational characteristics, particularly emotional intensity and relevance, play a crucial role in modulating age-related differences in emotion regulation strategies.
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