Tianyuan Li

Interdependent self-construal moderates the age-related negativity reduction effect in memory and visual attention.

There is some debate concerning whether people selectively attend to and remember less negative relative to positive or neutral information with age. We argue that such an age-related negativity reduction effect may be attenuated among individuals who are more interdependent, as they are likely to perceive negative information as equally useful and important as positive information. In 2 studies, we tested this hypothesis by examining memory for (Study 1) and visual attention to (Study 2) emotional (positive vs. negative) stimuli among younger, middle-aged, and older Chinese participants. Findings revealed that the age-related negativity reduction effect was found to a lesser extent among older Chinese individuals who were more interdependent than among those who were less interdependent.

The Dynamic Goal Theory of Marital Satisfaction

Marital satisfaction is gaining increasing concern in modern society. The current review proposes the dynamic goal theory of marital satisfaction to integrate previous findings about marital satisfaction from a life span developmental perspective. The theory argues that people have multiple goals to achieve in their marriage. These marital goals can be classified into three categories: personal growth goals, companionship goals, and instrumental goals. The priority of the three types of marital goals is under dynamic changes across adulthood. Generally speaking, young couples emphasize the personal growth goals, middle-aged couples prioritize the instrumental goals, and old couples focus on the companionship goals. Whether the prioritized marital goals are achieved in marriage determines marital satisfaction. Other factors influencing marital satisfaction can be linked with marital goals in two ways. Some factors, such as life transitions and cultural values, can affect the priority of different marital goals; while other factors, such as communication pattern, problem solving, and attribution, can facilitate the achievement of the prioritized marital goals.

Is reciprocity always beneficial? Age differences in the association between support balance and life satisfaction.

Objectives: Reciprocity in support exchanges is believed to be beneficial to psychological well-being. This study examined perceived emotional and instrumental support balance from either family or friends, and the relationship between each support balance and life satisfaction among young and older adults. Method: The sample included 107 older adults and 96 young adults. They rated their life satisfaction, as well as the emotional and instrumental support they provided to and received from family members and friends. Results: Consistent with the socioemotional selectivity theory, age differences were found in perceived emotional support balance with friends. Older adults reported more emotionally reciprocal friendships than did young adults. Moreover, contrary to the equity rule, emotionally over-benefited friendships were associated with higher life satisfaction for older adults than were reciprocal friendships. Conclusion: Age, type of support, and source of support should be considered when studying the relationships between support balance and psychological well-being.

The Role of Dispositional Reappraisal in the Age-Related Positivity Effect

OBJECTIVES This study aimed to clarify mixed findings about whether older adults have a cognitive bias toward positive and/or away from negative information (the positivity effect) by examining whether dispositional cognitive reappraisal (a disposition to reinterpret an event to lessen its negative emotional impact) could moderate this effect. METHODS Participants from 19 to 79 years old watched a video that simultaneously showed a positive and a negative image. Two layers of their emotion regulation process, attention (measured by percent fixation duration) and cognitive effort (measured by pupil dilation), toward each image were recorded. One dispositional emotion regulation strategy, dispositional cognitive reappraisal, was also assessed. RESULTS In general, older age was related to less percent fixation duration but not to differential pupil dilation toward the negative image. However, among those with higher dispositional cognitive reappraisal, older age was related to smaller pupil dilation for the negative image. DISCUSSION Findings suggest that whether the age-related positivity effect occurs depends on the matching between cognitive processes and dispositional emotion regulation strategies.

How Negative Interactions Affect Relationship Satisfaction The Paradoxical Short-Term and Long-Term Effects of Commitment

When people are more committed to a relationship, do they become more vulnerable or more resilient to the impacts of negative interactions with the partner? Although most studies emphasize the positive role of commitment in romantic relationship, the answer to the above question may differ in the short term versus in the long term. We conducted a 14-day daily diary study and a 7-month follow-up with 100 participants who are currently in a serious romantic relationship. Results revealed the paradoxical short-term and long-term effects of commitment. Commitment to the relationship intensified both the short-term detrimental effect and the long-term beneficial effect of negative interactions on relationship satisfaction. Personal stress was found to partially explain the short-term effects of negative interactions and commitment. When people become committed to a relationship, they are more vulnerable to the impacts of negative interactions in the short term but more resilient to the impacts in the long run.

Successful Aging: Concepts, Reflections and Its Relevance to Asia

This chapter reviews the conceptual underpinnings of successful aging and related concepts including productive aging, healthy aging, and active aging. Specific focus was placed on Rowe and Kahn’s model of successful aging and the controversies around the concept, with particular emphasis on the model’s limitations when being applied to developing countries where access to healthcare is often limited, and Asian cultures which tend to espouse a more holistic view of health and wellness. We argue that successful aging needs to be viewed within the broader social and cultural contexts and has to incorporate psychological, social, and physical dimensions. Finally, we discuss the organization of the book and provide a sketch of the four parts to follow.

Communal one day, exchange the next: Daily relationship orientation mediates the influence of perceived stress on constructive interactions in close relationships

The current research proposed the concept of dynamic relationship orientation and tested it as a mediator accounting for the relation between the within-individual variations of perceived stress and interpersonal interactions in close relationships. Communal and exchange orientation were considered to be two interaction schemas that could be dynamically activated in different relationships across different situations. Participants’ daily stress and interaction with their mother and romantic partner were measured for 14 consecutive days. Results confirmed that lower activation of the communal schema on a day significantly mediated the negative association between daily perceived stress and constructive interactions in both relationships. The findings supported the important role of dynamic relationship orientation in linking situational factors with interpersonal interactions. The concept of dynamic relationship orientation provides a new theoretical framework to integrate research on contextual factors and relationship dynamics.

Grandparental involvement and young adults’ cognitive and social adjustment: The moderating role of filial piety in Hong Kong

Grandparents play a critical role in child-rearing both in the evolutionary history of human beings and in modern societies. The current study examined how grandparental involvement might contribute to young adults’ cognitive and social adjustment and whether grandchildren’s filial piety beliefs might moderate the impact of grandparental involvement. A total of 287 Hong Kong college students completed questionnaire measures of grandparental involvement, cognitive well-being, breadth and depth of friendships, and reciprocal and authoritarian filial piety beliefs. Results indicated that grandparental involvement was positively associated with young adults’ cognitive well-being and friendship quality even after controlling for parental influences, but only for young adults with strong filial piety beliefs. Moreover, reciprocal filial piety was a significant moderator for both cognitive well-being and friendship quality, whereas authoritarian filial piety only moderated the association between grandparental involvement and cognitive well-being. Findings highlighted the relevance of grandparental involvement in understanding youth development, and the importance of considering cultural values when investigating intergenerational interactions.