How Does Aging Affect Social Attention? A Test of Competing Theories Using Multilevel Meta-Analysis.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

The present study provides a meta-analytic assessment of how gaze-cued attention-a core social-cognitive process-is influenced by normal adult aging.

Methods

A multilevel meta-analysis of standardized mean changes was conducted on gaze-cueing effects. Age effects were quantified as standardized mean differences in gaze-cueing effect sizes between young and older adult samples.

Results

We identified 82 gaze-cueing effects (k = 26, N = 919 participants). Of these, 37 were associated with young adults (k = 12, n = 438) and 45 with older adults (k = 14, n = 481). Relative to younger adults, older adults had a reduced gaze-cueing effect overall, g = -0.59, with this age effect greater when the cues were predictive, g = -3.24, rather than nonpredictive, g = -0.78

SUBMITTER: McKay KT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9371458 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature