Dimensions of affective experience in three age groups.

Abstract

The dimensions by which adults of differing ages experience emotion were studied by self-administering questionnaires administered to older adults (n = 828) recruited from Elderhostel programs, middle-aged (ages 30-59) children of Elderhostel attenders (n = 231), and young adult (ages 18-29) subjects recruited from college classes or through Elderhostel participants (n = 207). Elders were higher in emotional control, mood stability, and emotional maturity through moderation and leveling of positive affect and lower in surgency, psychophysiological responsiveness, and sensation seeking. These findings are consistent with the hypothesized increase in self-regulatory capacity with age. These cross-sectional differences cannot, however, be distinguished from cohort-related explanations; they require considerable replication across different types of subjects and further characterization of the dimensions in terms of their functions for self-regulation.

Cites (5)

1. Significance tests and goodness of fit in the analysis of covariance structures.
   P. M. Bentler, Douglas G. Bonett · 1980 · Psychological Bulletin
2. The opponent-process theory of acquired motivation: the costs of pleasure and the benefits of pain
   Solomon, Richard L. · 1980 · American Psychologist
3. Arousal, affect, and attention as components of temperament.
   Derryberry, Douglas, Rothbart, Mary K. · 1988 · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
4. Measuring generalized expectancies for negative mood regulation: Initial scale development and implications
   Catanzaro, Salvatore J., Mearns, Jack · 1990 · Journal of Personality Assessment
5. Measuring generalized expectancies for negative mood regulation: initial scale development and implications.
   Catanzaro, Salvatore, Mearns, Jack · 1990 · Journal of Personality Assessment

Show all 5 references

Cited by (28)

1. Socioemotional selectivity theory and the regulation of emotion in the second half of life
   Carstensen, Laura L., Fung, Helene H., Charles, Susan T. · 2003 · Motivation and Emotion
2. Aging and motivated cognition: the positivity effect in attention and memory
   Mather, Mara, Carstensen, Laura L. · 2005 · Trends in Cognitive Sciences
3. Social and Emotional Aging
   Charles, Susan T., Carstensen, Laura L. · 2010 · Annual Review of Psychology
4. Evidence for a life-span theory of socioemotional selectivity
   Carstensen, Laura L. · 1995 · Current Directions in Psychological Science
5. Aging and emotional memory: the forgettable nature of negative images for older adults
   Charles, Susan Turk, Mather, Mara, Carstensen, Laura L. · 2003 · Journal of Experimental Psychology: General

See all 496