What do you focus on? An investigation of goal focus from childhood to old age.

ABSTRACT: Goals constitute an important construct in developmental psychology. They represent a central way in which individuals shape their development. Here, we present two studies on age-related differences in one important goal dimension, goal focus, that is, the relative salience of the means and ends of goal pursuit. Extant studies on age-related differences in adults suggest a shift from focusing on the ends to focusing on the means across adulthood. The current studies aimed to expand this research to encompass the entire lifespan including childhood. The first cross-sectional study included participants spanning from early childhood into old age (N = 312, age range: 3-83 years) and used a multimethodological approach comprising eye tracking, behavioral, and verbal measures of goal focus. Th

SUBMITTER: Moersdorf L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10457216 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature