Download (.docx) The Effect of Orientation and Stimulus Duration on Older and Younger Adults' Ability to Identify Facial Expressions
Poster presented at VSS 2012
In younger adults, certain facial expressions (e.g. happiness) are recognized easily, while others (e.g. fear and... more In younger adults, certain facial expressions (e.g. happiness) are recognized easily, while others (e.g. fear and surprise) are not (Palermo and Coltheart, 2004). Previous results suggest that older adults show overall recognition deficits and qualitatively different patterns in the particular expressions that are most difficult to identify (Ruffman et al., 2008). In the current study, 23 younger (18-33 years old) and 23 older (60-80 years old) adults performed a 4AFC (angry, fearful, happy, sad) facial expression categorization task that varied face ori- entation (upright/inverted) and stimulus duration (100, 500, 1000ms). For both groups, happiness was the easiest expression to identify and fear and sadness were the most difficult and most frequently confused. For upright faces, there was no age difference in response accuracy but response latency was longer in older subjects. For inverted faces, older adults showed lower accuracy and longer latencies for expres- sions of anger, fear, and sadness. Recognition of inverted happy faces was spared in older adults for accuracy, but not response latency. At all stimulus durations, older subjects were less accurate than young subjects for angry and sad faces, but accuracy for happy faces was unaffected by age. The pattern of relative difficulties was the same in each age group at both orientations and all stimulus durations. Furthermore, there was no age difference in the pattern of response confusions. However, when subjects were asked to classify neutral faces, younger subjects were more likely to respond angry or fearful than sad, while the order was reversed for older subjects. Our results suggest that, in general, older individuals process expressive faces in a qualitatively similar way to their younger counterparts, but are less efficient at extracting the diagnostic information. Age-related deficits observed in previous studies may reflect a general decrease in process- ing efficiency, rather than facial expression identification per se.
Risk Preferences and Aging: The “Certainty Effect” in Older Adults’ Decision Making
by Nina Mazar
Cp-authored with Mara Mather, Marissa A. Gorlick, Nichole R. Lighthall, Jessica Burgeno, Andrej Schoeke, and Dan Ariely, conditional accept at 'Psychology and Aging'
A prevalent stereotype is that people become less risk taking and more cautious as they get older. However, in... more A prevalent stereotype is that people become less risk taking and more cautious as they get older. However, in laboratory studies, findings are mixed and often reveal no age differences. In the current series of experiments, we examined whether age differences in risk seeking are more likely to emerge when choices include a certain option (a sure gain or a sure loss). In four experiments, we found that age differences in risk preferences only emerged when participants were offered a choice between a risky and a certain gamble but not when offered two risky gambles. In particular, Experiments 1 and 2 included only gambles about potential gains. Here, compared with younger adults, older adults preferred a certain gain over a chance to win a larger gain and thus, exhibited more risk aversion in the domain of gains. But in Experiments 3 and 4, when offered the chance to take a small sure loss rather than risking a larger loss, older adults generally exhibited more risk seeking in the domain of losses than younger adults. In a nutshell, our findings suggest that older adults weigh certainty more heavily than younger adults.
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Age-related retinal inflammation is reduced by 670nm light via increased mitochondrial polarisation
Accepted, Neurobiology of Aging, 2012
The mitochondrial theory of aging argues that oxidative stress, caused by mitochondrial DNA mutations, is associated... more
The mitochondrial theory of aging argues that oxidative stress, caused by mitochondrial DNA mutations, is associated with decreased ATP production leading to cellular degeneration. The rate of this degradation is linked to metabolic demand, with the outer retina having the greatest in the body, showing progressive inflammation, macrophage invasion and cell loss, resulting in visual decline.
Mitochondrial function shifts in vitro following 670 nm light exposure, reducing oxidative stress and increasing ATP production. In vivo, it ameliorates induced-pathology. Here, we ask if 670 nm light shifts mitochondrial function and reduces age-related retinal inflammation. Aged mice were exposed to only five 90secs exposures over 35h. This significantly increased mitochondrial membrane polarisation and significantly reduced macrophage numbers and TNF-alpha levels, a key pro-inflammatory cytokine. Three additional inflammatory markers were assessed; C3d, a marker of chronic inflammation and calcitonin, a systemic inflammatory biomarker were significantly reduced. C3b, a marker of acute inflammation, was not significantly altered.
These results provide a simple route to combating inflammation in an aging population with declining visual function and may be applicable to clinical conditions where retinal inflammation is a key feature.
Aging and Wisdom: Culture Matters
Co-authored with Karasawa, M., Izumi, S., Na, J., Varnum, M. E. W., Kitayama, S., & Nisbett, R. E., published in 'Psychological Science', in press
Research indicates that cultures differ in the ways they approach social conflicts, with Japanese being more motivated... more Research indicates that cultures differ in the ways they approach social conflicts, with Japanese being more motivated to maintain interpersonal harmony and avoid conflicts than Americans. Such cultural differences have developmental consequences for reasoning about social conflict. We interviewed random samples of Americans from the Midwest in the U.S. and Japanese from the larger Tokyo area about the future developments of intergroup and interpersonal conflicts. Responses showed increased wisdom (e.g. recognition of multiple perspectives, compromise, and the limits of knowledge) with increasing age among Americans, but older age was not associated with wiser responses among Japanese. Younger and middle-aged Japanese showed greater use of wise reasoning strategies than younger and middle-aged Americans. This cultural difference was weaker for older participants for interpersonal conflicts and was actually reversed for intergroup conflicts. Implications of this research for the study of aging, cultural psychology, and wisdom are discussed.
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China’s Population Policy- Aging, Gender, and Sustainability
by Journal of Research on Women and Gender
Lijun Yuan, Texas State University-San Marcos
China is about to undergo a stunning demographic transformation, a rapidly aging population. Despite the influence of... more
China is about to undergo a stunning demographic transformation, a rapidly aging population. Despite the influence of the aging process on women’s lives, very few works analyze the interconnectedness of gender and aging. This article analyzes the interrelationship between China’s aging population, gender inequality, and elderly women’s poverty. Since gender issues in aging have been ignored, idealistic models to promote the well-being of the elderly fail to address the specific needs of aging women. Traditional attitudes in China toward caring for the elderly have met serious challenges as a result of China’s economic reform, one-child policy, and social acceptance of individualistic development and competitive life-styles. I argue that a fruitful way for dealing with the “graying” population of China is not to abandon her traditions but to call upon a Confucian notion of reciprocity that provides guidelines for the respect and care for the elderly through a joint effort of family, community, and government support. When properly revised and infused with gender consciousness, the Confucian tradition points the way to attending specifically to the needs of disadvantaged elderly women.
While Confucianism emphasizes how humans can live together and create a just society with a benevolent government, it, like Daoism, points to the importance of harmony with nature. I will argue that the needs of elderly Chinese will be well-served not just by interweaving gender consciousness into the tradition of Confucianism, but also by emphasizing an ecological consciousness; cooperation with nature will foster limited growth within a steady state economy and sustainable development that will help all elderly, both women and men, in the long run.
Transfer technologii w kształtowaniu srebrnej gospodarki (Technology Transfer in Shaping the Silver Economy)
A. Klimczuk, Transfer technologii w kształtowaniu srebrnej gospodarki (Technology Transfer in Shaping the Silver Economy), [in:] M. Grzybowski (ed.), Transfer wiedzy w ekonomii i zarządzaniu, Wydawnictwo Uczelniane Akademii Morskiej w Gdyni, Gdynia 2011, p. 57-75.
Wzrost długości życia ludzkiego sprzyja rozwojowi dóbr i usług skierowanych do osób starszych. Opracowanie przybliża... more
Wzrost długości życia ludzkiego sprzyja rozwojowi dóbr i usług skierowanych do osób starszych. Opracowanie przybliża zjawisko srebrnej gospodarki jako systemu ekonomicznego opartego na zaspokajaniu potrzeb starzejących się społeczeństw. W artykule przedstawione zostały przykłady rozwiązań strategicznych i organizacyjnych związanych z tworzeniem gerontechnologii. Uwzględniono koncepcje obejmujące współpracę podmiotów sektora publicznego, komercyjnego i pozarządowego: strategie innowacji, klastry dobrobytu i regionalne sieci srebrnej gospodarki. Zwrócono także uwagę na nowe instytucje badawcze typu "agelab" i instytucje kultury typu "medialab", które mogą być wykorzystane do kształtowania społecznego wizerunku gerontechnologii.
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The increase in the length of human life favors development of goods and services to the elderly. Article describes phenomenon of the silver economy as an economic system based on meeting the needs of ageing populations. Study presents examples of strategic and organizational solutions related to the creation of gerontechnology. Work takes into account concepts of cooperation between public, commercial and non-governmental sector entities: strategies for innovation, welfare clusters and silver economy networks. It also highlighted the new research institutions such as "agelab" and cultural institutions "medialab", which can be used to shape public image of gerontechnologies.
‘In One’s Skin and Flesh’: Aging Bodies and Transcendent Forms in Sheila Watson’s The Double Hook
Aging, Old Age, Memory, Aesthetics conference. University of Toronto. March 25-27, 2011.
The study of social representation systems: relationships involving representations on aging, AIDS and the body
Camargo, B.V. & Wachelke, J. (2010). The study of social representation systems: relationships involving representations on aging, AIDS and the body. Papers on Social Representations, 19(2), 21.1-21.21.
Past studies have pointed out that social representations on AIDS, aging and the body might be connected. The present... more Past studies have pointed out that social representations on AIDS, aging and the body might be connected. The present paper reports an exploratory study that aims at characterizing their relationships. The sample was composed of 1118 secondary school and university undergraduate students, who completed a questionnaire about one of the three objects. The main task was to choose 3 of 12 words extracted from the literature that were more strongly related with the object in question, and then justify their choices. Data analysis consisted of descriptive statistics, correspondence analysis and typical vocabulary analysis. The results from correspondence analysis suggested that the representations on AIDS and the body are associated with the element young, whereas the representations on the body and old age intersect on elements 'health' and 'life'. It is concluded that there is empirical evidence of interaction zones involving the mentioned representations, and the reference to thêmata and recent developments from the structural approach might provide the guidelines to the underlying logic of a representational system.
Índice de centralidade de representações sociais a partir de evocações (INCEV): exemplo de aplicação no estudo da representação social sobre envelhecimento
Wachelke, J.F.R. (2009). Índice de centralidade de representações sociais a partir de evocações (INCEV): exemplo de aplicação no estudo da representação social sobre envelhecimento. Psicologia Reflexão e Crítica, 22(1), 102-110.
Language: Portuguese.
The article proposes a technique to describe social representations structure from free evocation data, the INCEV, an... more The article proposes a technique to describe social representations structure from free evocation data, the INCEV, an index which evaluates representational element centralities taking into account their frequencies, unconditionality and importance. An empiric study was carried out concerning the social representation on aging, comparing INCEV results to those of Vergès' prototypical analysis and questioning (MEC) techniques. The main data collection took place with a sample of 218 undergraduate students, who answered to an evocation questionnaire about the word aging and evaluated each response concerning importance and the possibility of the object keeping his/her identity without the provided word. INCEV results were closer to MEC's than those derived from prototypical analysis. It is concluded that the INCEV presents evidences of validity and pertinence, having as an advantage the inclusion of central core theory principles on the first representation description.
Changing masks: a masking effect on young people's social representations on aging?
Wachelke, J.F.R. & Lins, S.L.B. (2008). Changing masks: a masking effect on young people's social representations on aging. Current Research in Social Psychology, 13(19), 232-242.
The study is focused with the structure of social representations, common sense theories about relevant themes. It... more The study is focused with the structure of social representations, common sense theories about relevant themes. It aims at investigating how central the ‘wisdom’ element is for young people’s representations on aging and also if the results provided by social representation questionnaires could be under the influence of normative pressures favoring politically correct responses, the so-called masking effect. The experimental design involved a within-subjects independent variable which was called representation interaction context, with two modalities: normal and substitution (with participants answering ‘as a typical young person’). Dependent variables were the scores of ‘calling-into-question’ items that assessed the symbolic value of elements related to aging. The sample was composed by Brazilian undergraduates. Results of paired t-tests indicated that on the substitution condition elements with a negative connotation (such as ‘death’ and ‘isolation’) had higher symbolic value scores, while the main positive element (wisdom)’s score decreased, indicating that there is a strong effect on the answers associated to interaction context manipulation with the substitution technique. Discussion addresses alternative explanations for the findings, dealing with the influence of sociopsychological biases and group identification as well as the identification criteria of social representations.