Human ageing is associated with more rigid concept spaces.

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Developmental Psychology
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Prevalence-induced concept change (PICC) is a cognitive bias where concept definitions shift with instance frequency.
• PICC is well-documented in young adults but understudied in older populations.
• Understanding age-related differences in PICC is crucial for cognitive aging research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of prevalence-induced concept change on older adults' judgments.
• To compare the sensitivity to PICC in older versus younger adults.
• To explore the underlying cognitive mechanisms of age-related differences in PICC.

Main Methods:

• Experimental design comparing younger and older adults' responses to varying concept prevalence.
• Assessment of both lower-level perceptual and higher-order ethical judgments.
• Computational modeling to analyze response patterns and cognitive strategies.

Main Results:

• Older adults exhibited significantly less sensitivity to prevalence-induced concept change compared to younger adults.
• This reduced sensitivity was observed across both perceptual and ethical judgment domains.
• Computational models indicated that older adults employed more cautious and deliberate response strategies.

Conclusions:

• Older adults are less susceptible to prevalence-induced concept change than younger adults.
• Age-related differences in PICC sensitivity are linked to more cautious cognitive processing.
• This cautiousness may serve as a protective factor against judgment biases in older age.