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Age Attenuates the Negativity Bias in Reframing Effects
Jehan Sparks1, Alison Ledgerwood1
11 University of California, Davis, USA.
Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin
|November 8, 2018
Summary
Older adults show a reduced negativity bias in reframing effects, meaning their attitudes are less resistant to positive framing compared to younger adults. This age-related difference impacts understanding valence biases.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Cognitive Science
- Social Psychology
Background:
- A negativity bias is well-documented in reframing effects, where attitudes are less influenced by positive-to-negative framing shifts than negative-to-positive shifts.
- This bias is often assumed to be a general human tendency, but potential moderators like age require investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate age as a moderator of the negativity bias in reframing effects.
- To test competing theoretical predictions regarding how age influences framing effects.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a large dataset (N = 2,452) synthesizing multiple studies, with participants aged 18-81 years.
- Employed multilevel modeling to analyze the moderating impact of age on reframing and single-shot framing effects.
Main Results:
- The negativity bias in reframing significantly attenuated (decreased) with increasing age.
- Findings align with socioemotional selectivity theory, suggesting age influences valence biases.
Conclusions:
- Age is a crucial boundary condition for the negativity bias in reframing.
- Results advance the understanding of valence biases and their modulation by age.
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