Department of Psychology, University of Zurich.
School of Psychology, Georgia Institute of Technology.
Dev Psychol. 2014 Apr;50(4):1125-36. doi: 10.1037/a0034491. Epub 2013 Sep 23.
Four studies utilizing different methodological approaches investigated adult age-related differences in altruism (i.e., contributions to the public good) and the self-centered value of increasing personal wealth. In Study 1, data from the World Values Survey (World Values Survey Association, 2009) provided 1st evidence of a negative association between age and the self-reported wish to be rich. Ecological concerns, a form of contributing to the public good, were positively related to age. Study 2 investigated whether these values are expressed behaviorally when participants solved a complex problem that allowed striving for monetary gains or contributing to a public good. Confirming hypotheses, young adults' strategies were consistent with the aim of optimizing personal financial gain, and older adults' strategies with the aim to contribute to the public good. Studies 3 and 4 showed that older adults were more likely than younger and middle-aged adults to donate money to a good cause than to keep it for themselves. Study 4 manipulated participants' future time perspective as a factor potentially contributing to age-related differences. Partly confirming hypotheses, a longer time perspective reduced donations by older adults, but a shorter time perspective did not increase donations by younger adults. These studies suggest that older adults not only report valuing contributions to the public good more highly but also are more likely to behave altruistically than younger adults. All studies used cross-sectional designs that prevent a strict test of developmental trajectories but rather provide age-related differences at 1 point in time, representing a 1st step in investigating adult age-related differences in altruism.
四项研究采用不同的方法探讨了成年人的利他主义（即对公共利益的贡献）和增加个人财富的自我中心价值随年龄增长的差异。在研究 1 中，世界价值观调查（世界价值观调查协会，2009 年）的数据首次提供了年龄与自我报告的致富愿望之间呈负相关的证据。对生态问题的关注，是一种对公共利益的贡献形式，与年龄呈正相关。研究 2 调查了当参与者解决一个允许追求货币收益或为公共利益做出贡献的复杂问题时，这些价值观是否会表现为行为。验证假设，年轻成年人的策略与个人财务收益最大化的目标一致，而年长成年人的策略与贡献公共利益的目标一致。研究 3 和 4 表明，与年轻和中年成年人相比，老年人更有可能将钱捐给公益事业而不是留给自己。研究 4 将参与者的未来时间视角作为一个潜在影响年龄相关差异的因素进行了操纵。部分验证假设，更长的时间视角减少了老年人的捐款，但更短的时间视角并没有增加年轻人的捐款。这些研究表明，老年人不仅报告更重视对公共利益的贡献，而且比年轻人更有可能表现出利他主义。所有研究都采用了横断面设计，无法严格检验发展轨迹，而是在一个时间点上提供了与年龄相关的差异，这是研究成年人的利他主义随年龄增长的差异的第一步。
