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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Neuroscience
  • Gerontology

Background:

  • Prior research suggests an age-related positivity effect, where older adults prefer positive over negative information.
  • This effect may be incomplete, as neutral information's role in decision-making across age groups is under-explored.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate age-related differences in attentional and preferential focus on positive, negative, and neutral information during decision-making.
  • To examine the influence of neutral information, often overlooked in positivity effect research.

Main Methods:

  • A multimethod approach was employed across three studies.
  • Methods included self-reports (Study 1), eye tracking, and information choice tasks involving health-related and leisure-related stimuli (Studies 2 & 3).

Main Results:

  • All age groups showed a significant preference for neutral information sources over positive or negative ones.
  • A general preference for decision-relevant information from neutral sources was observed.
  • When only positive and negative information were contrasted, results aligned with the age-related positivity effect.

Conclusions:

  • Neutral information plays a crucial role in decision-making across the adult lifespan.
  • The age-related positivity effect may be biased due to the underestimation of neutral information's appeal.
  • Future research should incorporate neutral information to gain a comprehensive understanding of age-related decision-making biases.