Age Differences in the Effects of Mortality Salience on the Correspondence Bias
Open accessAbstract
According to terror management theory, awareness of death affects diverse aspects of human thought and behavior. Studies have shown that older and younger adults differ in how they respond to reminders of their mortality. The present study investigated one hypothesized explanation for these findings: Age-related differences in the tendency to make correspondent inferences. The correspondence bias was assessed in younger and older samples after death-related, negative, or neutral primes. Younger adults displayed increased correspondent inferences following mortality primes, whereas older adults' inferences were not affected by the reminder of death. As in prior research, age differences were evident in control conditions; however, age differences were eliminated in the death condition. Results support the existence of age-related differences in responses to mortality, with only younger adults displaying increased reliance on simplistic information structuring after a death reminder.
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Age is negatively associated with MS effects and older adults exhibit the opposite impact of MS inductions by expressing more egalitarian views.
“Age is negatively associated with MS effects and older adults exhibit the opposite impact of MS inductions by expressing more egalitarian views [28, 29].”
From Not so terrifying after all? A set of failed replications of the mortality salience effects of Terror Management Theory (2023) · cites this paper as [29]
The Abstract (page unavailable) reports age-related differences: mortality primes increased correspondent inferences in younger adults but did not affect older adults’ inferences. The Discussion (page unavailable) likewise says older adults’ inferences were not significantly affected. The paper does not support the further claim that older adults responded to mortality salience by expressing more egalitarian views. (LLM, conf=0.88)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredTerror management theory posits that humans possess a dual-process system that serves a protective function against human awareness of vulnerability and eventual mortality.
“Terror management theory (TMT), which is based on work by Becker, posits that humans possess a dual-process system that serves a protective function against human awareness of vulnerability and eventual mortality [30].”
From Relationship between meaning in life and death anxiety in the elderly: self-esteem as a mediator (2019) · cites this paper as [30]
The paper’s TMT discussion (section labeled Abstract; no page provided) says that awareness of mortality creates potential anxiety and that people protect themselves through a meaningful worldview and self-worth. It does not describe this protection as a dual-process system or connect TMT to Becker; a dual-process model appears only in a reference title. (LLM, conf=0.84)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredIndividuals with high self-esteem will exhibit less anxiety toward death-related scenes.
“This model also suggests that individuals with high self-esteem will exhibit less anxiety toward death-related scenes.”
From Relationship between meaning in life and death anxiety in the elderly: self-esteem as a mediator (2019) · cites this paper as [30]
The Abstract describes terror management theory as proposing that self-worth helps protect people from anxiety arising from awareness of death. It does not state that people with high self-esteem experience less anxiety than others when viewing death-related scenes, or report a test of that prediction. (LLM, conf=0.82)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredWhen using age as a moderator, the impacts of MS attenuated and even reversed in samples of older adults.
“When using age as a moderator, the impacts of MS attenuated and even reversed (e.g., greater levels of egalitarian attitudes emerged) in samples of older adults [e.g., 28, 29].”
From Not so terrifying after all? A set of failed replications of the mortality salience effects of Terror Management Theory (2023) · cites this paper as [29]
Awareness of the inevitability of death can produce anxiety.
“TMT argues that people’s awareness of the inevitability of death can produce anxiety.”
From Relationship between meaning in life and death anxiety in the elderly: self-esteem as a mediator (2019) · cites this paper as [30]
Conforming to value standards endorsed by one's cultural worldview affords people a sense of meaning in life that functions as a buffer against potential anxiety related to mortality salience.
“One mechanism involves conforming to the value standards endorsed by one’s cultural worldview, which affords people a sense of meaning in life that functions as a buffer against potential anxiety related to mortality salience.”
From Relationship between meaning in life and death anxiety in the elderly: self-esteem as a mediator (2019) · cites this paper as [30]
Terror management theory predicts that people who adhere to cultural values are better shielded than others against the potential for anxiety.
“TMT further predicts that people who adhere to cultural values are better shielded than others against the potential for anxiety.”
From Relationship between meaning in life and death anxiety in the elderly: self-esteem as a mediator (2019) · cites this paper as [30]
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Relationship between meaning in life and death anxiety in the elderly: self-esteem as a mediator
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- Authors
- Maxfield, M., Pyszczynski, T., Greenberg, J., & Bultmann, M. N.
- Affiliations
- University of Colorado Colorado Springs (US)
- University of Arizona (US)
- University of Missouri (US)
- Corresponding author
- Maxfield, Molly
- Venue
- The International Journal of Aging and Human Development
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2016-12-26
- Volume
- 84
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 329-342
- ISSN
- 0091-4150 (ISSN-L)
- 1541-3535
- PMC
- PMC9639784
- OpenAlex
- W2562476012
- Cited by
- 14
- References
- 32
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 3 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 3 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 1
- FWCI
- 2.10
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- The International Journal of Aging and Human Development (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- UA Campus Repository (The University of Arizona) (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute on Aging (R01AG022910)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Death Anxiety and Social Exclusion
- Social Sciences › Anthropology › Death, Funerary Practices, and Mourning
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology › Aging and Gerontology Research
- Keywords
- terror management theory, mortality salience, death reminders, correspondence bias, age differences, older adults, young adults, cognitive aging, information structuring
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Age Factors, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Aging, Attitude to Death, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Thinking, Young Adult, Repetition Priming
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