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Positivity effect and decision making in ageing.

Fedor Levin1, Susann Fiedler1,2, Bernd Weber3

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PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Older adults did not show a positivity effect in decision-making, contrary to previous findings. While positivity bias influenced satisfaction, it did not impact decision quality across age groups.

Keywords:
Positivity effectageingdecision makinginformation search

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive psychology
  • Gerontology
  • Decision science

Background:

  • The positivity effect, an age-related bias towards positive stimuli, influences decision-making, particularly information search and satisfaction.
  • Its impact on decision quality and age-related differences in information acquisition remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between the positivity effect and decision quality in younger and older adults.
  • To examine age differences in positivity bias during information acquisition for decisions.

Main Methods:

  • An online decision-making study involving choices among charitable organizations.
  • 152 younger and 152 older adults participated, with data analyzed for positivity bias, information search patterns, and decision quality.

Main Results:

  • The positivity effect was not observed in older adults; younger adults exhibited a slight positivity bias.
  • No link was found between information search bias (positivity or negativity) and decision quality.
  • The established link between positivity bias and decision satisfaction was replicated.
  • No significant differences in decision quality were found between older and younger adults.

Conclusions:

  • The study did not support the positivity effect in older adults within this decision-making context.
  • Positivity bias impacts decision satisfaction but not decision quality, irrespective of age.
  • Further research is needed to understand factors influencing the positivity effect in decision-making.