Synchronous Walking Enhanced Younger Adults' Sentiments Toward Older Adults

Area of Science:

• Social Psychology
• Gerontology
• Human Movement Science

Background:

• Negative perceptions of older adults by younger adults can harm intergenerational relationships.
• Interpersonal synchrony, through shared activities, is known to improve interactions within same-generation groups.
• This research extends the study of interpersonal synchrony to young-old dyads.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if synchronous walking can improve younger adults' sentiments toward older adults.
• To assess the impact of synchronous walking on perceived self-other merging, connectedness, general liking, and impression.
• To compare the effects of synchronous walking, asynchronous walking, and no walking on intergenerational perceptions.

Main Methods:

• A pre-test and post-test design was employed with 51 participants.
• Participants were paired with an older adult and randomly assigned to synchronous walking, asynchronous walking, or a no-walking control condition.
• Following the walking task, dyads engaged in a conversation.

Main Results:

• Synchronous walking significantly enhanced all measured aspects of younger adults' sentiments toward their older partners compared to asynchronous or no walking.
• Conversations post-walking improved connectedness and impressions.
• Synchronous walking was more effective than conversation in strengthening self-other merging.

Conclusions:

• Synchronous walking serves as a potent intervention for improving intergenerational relationships.
• This study provides empirical support for using synchronized activities to bridge age divides.
• Findings contribute to developing strategies for an age-friendly society by reducing age-based prejudice.