Joann M. Montepare

Subjective age: Toward a guiding lifespan framework

This article attempts to integrate the contributions of research in this volume of the International Journal of Behavioral Development with related research under a guiding lifespan framework that describes the dynamics of subjective age identification. The framework rests on the premise that subjective age derives from a process of anchoring and adjusting personal age perceptions in light of distal references points (i.e., internal representations of developmental models) and proximal reference points (i.e., historic, physical, normative, and interpersonal age markers) that guide the age younger and older individuals across the lifespan perceive themselves to be. In addition to being a potential alternative marker of development, subjective age is an interesting personal dimension along which to explore individual behavior and functioning. Future researchers have much to learn about its distinctive components, determinants and consequences across and within age groups.

The influence of subjective aging on health and longevity: A meta-analysis of longitudinal data

Evidence is accumulating on the effects of subjective aging-that is, how individuals perceive their own aging process-on health and survival in later life. The goal of this article is to synthesize findings of existing longitudinal studies through a meta-analysis. A systematic search in PsycInfo, Web of Science, Scopus, and Pubmed resulted in 19 longitudinal studies reporting effects of subjective aging on health, health behaviors, and longevity. The authors combine the outcomes reported in these studies using a random effects meta-analysis, assuming that there would be differences in effect sizes across studies. The meta-analysis resulted in an overall significant effect of subjective aging (likelihood ratio = 1.429; 95% confidence interval = 1.273-1.604; p < .001). The analyses revealed heterogeneity, with stronger effects for studies with a shorter period of follow-up, for studies of health versus survival, for studies with younger participants (average age of the studies varies between 57 and 85 years with a median of 63 years), and for studies in welfare systems where state provisions of welfare are minimal. However, effects did not vary either across different operationalizations of subjective aging or by study quality. Subjective aging has a small significant effect on health, health behaviors, and survival. Further theoretical conceptualizations and empirical studies are needed to determine how subjective aging contributes to health and survival.

Younger and Older Adults’ Beliefs About the Experience and Expression of Emotions Across the Life Span

OBJECTIVES Although theorists acknowledge that beliefs about emotions may play a role in age-related emotion behavior, no research has explored these beliefs. This research examined beliefs about the experience and expression of emotions across the life span, especially across the adult years. METHODS Younger and older adults rated the extent to which infants, children, adolescents, young adults, middle-aged adults, and older adults were likely to experience and express a range of emotions. RESULTS Younger and older adults held similar beliefs about the course of emotions across the life span. Moreover, these beliefs differed across emotion categories. In particular, although older adults were believed to experience and express fewer highly charged, negative emotions, they were expected to be more likely to experience and express positive, low arousal emotions, as well as negative, low arousal emotions. The experience and expression of positive, high arousal emotions were seen as more characteristic of very young age groups as opposed to older age groups. DISCUSSION These findings beg questions about if and how beliefs about emotion may affect age-related emotion regulation strategies and other everyday emotion-focused behaviors, as well as social reactions to older adults observed experiencing and expressing particular types of emotions.

It's about Time: Applying Life Span and Life Course Perspectives to the Study of Subjective Age

Subjective age, a component of subjective aging, has received growing empirical attention locally and globally. Reflecting the age individuals perceive themselves to be, subjective age involves the experience of time along multiple dimensions—including lifetime, marked by movement through developmental life stages and socially structured, historically contextualized life course transitions. However, issues of temporality have received limited attention in studies of subjective age. We address this limitation by considering subjective age through the lens of two theoretical perspectives that center on temporality: the life span and life course perspectives. The life span perspective illuminates variation across and within life stages by pointing to developmental processes and age triggers that drive age identity. The life course perspective highlights other temporal issues that shape age-related patterns in subjective age, pointing to social, cultural, and historical factors that impact developmental processes. We employ these perspectives to organize what is known about subjective age and to suggest new contexts and connections for further research. Our analysis calls attention to the importance of considering the multidimensionality of subjective age across broad spans of time as well as the need to explore intersections among developmental processes, life course trajectories, and historical contexts.

Social representations of older adults [ magget ] in Dakar

ABSTRACT The objectives of this study in Dakar were twofold: to determine whether the representations of older adults are mainly positive, neutral or negative in the Senegalese capital; and to analyse the emic notions on which these age representations are based. As a first step in understanding how older adults are represented in this contemporary urban African context, a methodology was selected that is both quantitative and qualitative, including closed and open-ended questions to a representative cross-section of the Dakar population aged 20 years and over (N=600). The results indicate that representations of older adults, while heterogeneous, were mainly positive in Dakar: 63.7 per cent reported positive representations of older adults. Conversely, 17.5 per cent believed that older adults were perceived negatively. Lastly, 18.8 per cent reported that they did not perceive positive or negative social views of older adults. Representations of older adults were based on three principal notions: the value of advanced age, social usefulness of older adults and family ties. These results are discussed in the context of Dakar modernity, in comparison to Western modernity. Dakar society appears to depart from modernisation theory, as the experiential wisdom of older adults is still valued (mainly through the importance of oral tradition) and the extended family is upheld (given the permanent economic crisis the country is experiencing).

The Voice of Wisdom New Insights on Social Impressions of Aging Voices

To understand better how age-related physical qualities affect age stereotyping, this research investigated the social judgments young adult listeners make when they hear the voices of younger, middle-aged, and older adult speakers. Ninety-six listeners judged 24 speakers (22-79 years in age) reading a content-neutral passage. The listeners rated each speaker on scales reflecting character traits, vocal characteristics, and social affordances. Consistent with traditional age stereotypes, listeners judged older speakers to be less powerful and less engaged than younger speakers. However, even stronger than these negative impressions were positive impressions of older speakers’ greater wisdom, which were associated with distinct age-related vocal qualities. Moreover, although listeners indicated a desire to avoid interactions with older speakers, they acknowledged them as good storytellers. The positive impressions of older speakers are interpreted within an evolutionary-ecological perspective, suggesting that some age-related vocal qualities reveal long-standing, adaptive traits associated with older adulthood.

Talk of Ages: Using intergenerational classroom modules to engage older and younger students across the curriculum.

ABSTRACT Age-friendly college campuses offer opportunities for lifelong learning for students of all ages. University-based retirement communities are especially well aligned with this goal by allowing residents to enroll in college courses. Although this arrangement is a standard educational option for college-linked communities, it can have challenges. In particular, the semester-long schedule may be inconvenient for many older students. The Talk of Ages intergenerational module program described in this case study was designed to offer an alternative curricular format to bring older and younger students together for 1 to 2 weeks in focused course activities. To encourage participation across the curriculum, instructors were urged to draw on existing course content. Initial feedback about the program indicated that instructors as well as older and younger students found the program appealing. Useful suggestions for refining the program were also revealed.

Ageing and the body: one African perspective

ABSTRACT How do non-Western societies envisage the relationship between the body and ageing? The present work aimed to shed light on this question by exploring how adult men and women of different ages living in Dakar, Senegal, view their bodies. A quantitative methodology was selected, and this study was carried out on a sample of 1,000 dwellers of the Senegalese capital, aged 20 and older. This sample was constructed using the quota method in order to strive for representativeness. Results indicate that appearance was highly important for Senegalese women and men, and for younger and older adults alike. As in Western cultures, beauty and youth were strongly connected. The large majority of Senegalese women and men were satisfied with their looks across the lifespan. However, older women were slightly less satisfied, consistent with the double standard hypothesis. Little discrepancy was found between felt age and chronological age throughout the entire lifecourse, arguing against an ageless self hypothesis in this African population. The mask of ageing hypothesis was also rejected, as mens and womens identification with their body did not diminish significantly across age. These observations from an African perspective call for greater attention to the ageing process in non-Western societies in order to challenge hypotheses developed in Western societies and understand more broadly the role of culture.