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A revisionist approach to Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development has brought new insights that challenge and reinterpret his established ideas. Piaget proposed that the formal operational stage, emerging in adolescence, represents the culmination of cognitive maturity. During this stage, individuals are said to develop abstract thinking, engage in systematic problem-solving, and show a form of egocentrism, believing others are as preoccupied with their behavior as they are...
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Metacognition is a conscious process where individuals are aware of their cognitive and executive processes, such as planning before solving a problem or self-monitoring during reading. For instance, a writer may need help with composing a piece. The situation involves a writer who is working on a piece of writing, but while doing so, they realize that something is missing. They notice that their characters lack depth or details. This realization occurs because the writer is reflecting on their...
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Age Differences in Motivated Cognition: A Meta-Analysis.

Liyana T Swirsky1, Erika P Sparrow1, Margot D Sullivan1

  • 1Department of Psychology, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

The Journals of Gerontology. Series B, Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences
|March 18, 2023
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Age and motivation do not significantly interact in cognitive control or memory. However, older adults prioritize socioemotional rewards for memory, while younger adults favor financial gains, suggesting nuanced motivational differences.

Keywords:
Cognitive controlEpisodic memoryExtrinsic motivationIntrinsic motivationSocioemotional selectivity

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Neuroscience
  • Gerontology

Background:

  • Motivated cognition research explores how incentives influence cognitive performance.
  • Age-related differences in cognitive control and episodic memory are well-documented.
  • Understanding how motivation impacts cognition across the lifespan is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To meta-analyze age differences in motivated cognition, focusing on cognitive control and episodic memory.
  • To investigate the moderating role of incentive type on age-related motivational effects.
  • To synthesize empirical evidence on the Age × Motivation interaction.

Main Methods:

  • Systematic literature search for studies comparing healthy younger and older adults.
  • Inclusion of studies with high vs. low motivation conditions and cognitive measures.
  • Random-effects meta-analysis of Age × Motivation effect sizes, with moderator analyses.

Main Results:

  • No significant Age × Motivation interaction found for cognitive control or episodic memory.
  • Significant heterogeneity in effect sizes suggests moderating factors.
  • Episodic memory showed moderation by incentive type: socioemotional for older adults, financial for younger adults.

Conclusions:

  • Current theories (dopamine hypothesis, life-span motivational theories) do not fully explain findings.
  • Age-related memory performance is differentially sensitive to reward types.
  • Integration of neurobiological, cognitive, and motivational perspectives is needed to understand motivated cognition across the lifespan.