Löckenhoff Corinna E, Rutt Joshua L, Samanez-Larkin Gregory R, O'Donoghue Ted, Reyna Valerie F, Ganzel Barbara
Department of Human Development, Cornell University.
Department of Psychology, Yale University.
Psychol Aging. 2016 Dec;31(8):890-901. doi: 10.1037/pag0000136.
Previous research has found age differences in intertemporal choices that involve trade-offs among events or outcomes that occur at different points in time, but these findings were mostly limited to hypothetical financial and consumer choices. We examined whether age effects extend to unpleasant physical experiences that elicit states of dread which lead participants to speed up the outcomes just to get them over with. We asked participants of different ages to choose among electrical shocks that varied in timing and intensity. We also assessed affective responses as a potential mechanism behind age effects and considered other potential covariates. In Study 1, the choice task involved real outcomes and the sample consisted of younger and older adults. In Study 2, the choice task was hypothetical and the sample was an adult life span sample. Across both studies, there was no evidence of age differences in the preferred timing of shocks. Instead, dread-sensitive choices were associated with higher conscientiousness. Age effects in dread-sensitive choices remained nonsignificant even after controlling for a range of age-associated covariates. We discuss possible explanations for the lack of age effects and consider implications for applied and clinical settings. (PsycINFO Database Record
以往的研究发现，在涉及不同时间点发生的事件或结果之间进行权衡的跨期选择中存在年龄差异，但这些发现大多仅限于假设的金融和消费者选择。我们研究了年龄效应是否会扩展到引发恐惧状态的不愉快身体体验中，这种恐惧状态会导致参与者加快结果的到来，只是为了结束它们。我们让不同年龄的参与者在电击时间和强度不同的电击之间进行选择。我们还评估了情感反应，将其作为年龄效应背后的一种潜在机制，并考虑了其他潜在的协变量。在研究1中，选择任务涉及实际结果，样本包括年轻人和老年人。在研究2中，选择任务是假设性的，样本是一个成年寿命样本。在两项研究中，均没有证据表明在电击的首选时间上存在年龄差异。相反，对恐惧敏感的选择与更高的尽责性相关。即使在控制了一系列与年龄相关的协变量之后，对恐惧敏感的选择中的年龄效应仍然不显著。我们讨论了缺乏年龄效应的可能解释，并考虑了其对应用和临床环境的影响。（PsycINFO数据库记录）
