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Li D, Cao Y, Hui BPH, Shum DHK. Are Older Adults More Prosocial Than Younger Adults? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. THE GERONTOLOGIST 2024; 64:gnae082. [PMID: 38963814 PMCID: PMC11322677 DOI: 10.1093/geront/gnae082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 07/06/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Prosociality refers to voluntary behaviors that intend to benefit others. Most of the existing literature suggests that older adults tend to act more prosocially compared to younger adults, whereas some studies show that older adults might not be that prosocial under certain conditions. The current study aimed to summarize the mixed findings and quantify the age difference in prosociality by conducting a qualitative systematic review and a quantitative meta-analysis. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Literature search was conducted based on 5 databases. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines were followed and this review was registered at PROSPERO (CRD42022333373). RESULTS Based on the qualitative synthesis of 51 studies, older adults (n = 109,911) were more prosocial than younger adults (n = 68,501). The meta-analysis of 46 studies further supported this age effect (Hedges' g = 0.31, 95% confidence interval [0.24, 0.37]), and this age effect might be moderated by the types of prosociality. We discovered a moderate age effect in sharing (Hedges' g = 0.53), but a nonsignificant age effect in helping (Hedges' g = 0.11), comforting (Hedges' g = -0.20), or mixed prosociality (Hedges' g = 0.15). Additionally, the age effect was only significant when older adults had higher socioeconomic status than younger adults. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS Future research should develop more comprehensive measures of prosociality, examine more variables that influence aging and prosociality, and investigate the neural mechanism(s) of prosociality to achieve a thorough understanding of the age difference in prosociality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Duo Li
- Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China
| | - Yuan Cao
- Department of Social Work and Social Administration, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Bryant P H Hui
- Department of Applied Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China
| | - David H K Shum
- Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China
- Research Institute for Smart Ageing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China
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2
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Liu Z, Feng Y. Episodic Future Thinking Increases Quitting Intention and Reduces Cigarette Consumption: The Role of Anticipated Regret. Subst Use Misuse 2024; 59:1901-1910. [PMID: 39080912 DOI: 10.1080/10826084.2024.2383981] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/02/2024]
Abstract
Background: Episodic future thinking (EFT), which refers to people simulating possible future life events, has been suggested as a promising intervention for substance use disorders. Objectives: To examine the effect of gain-oriented and loss-oriented EFT on smoking cessation and its underlying mechanisms. Results: Two online experiments were conducted (Total N = 362). The results suggested that engaging in EFT led to increased short-term quitting behavior among smokers by bolstering their intentions to quit smoking (indirect effect = 0.10, bootstrap = 5000, bias-corrected 95% CI [0.0008, 0.2353]). Furthermore, the influence of EFT on quitting intention was mediated by anticipated regret (indirect effect = 0.37, bootstrap = 5000, bias-corrected 95% CI [0.2062, 0.5321]). There were no significant differences observed between the effects of gain-oriented and loss-oriented EFT on quitting intention (F = 0.28, p = .60). Importance: Our findings contribute to a growing body of literature on the adaptive functioning of EFT and lend support to the regret regulation theory. Health practitioners may consider integrating EFT into clinical interventions to help smokers quit smoking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziyao Liu
- Department of Psychology, School of Educational Science, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, China
- Cognition and Human Behavior Key Laboratory of Hunan Province, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, China
| | - Yonghui Feng
- Department of Psychology, School of Educational Science, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, China
- Cognition and Human Behavior Key Laboratory of Hunan Province, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, China
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3
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Ryan AD, Campbell KL. Time spent imagining does not influence younger and older adults' episodic simulation of helping behavior. NEUROPSYCHOLOGY, DEVELOPMENT, AND COGNITION. SECTION B, AGING, NEUROPSYCHOLOGY AND COGNITION 2024:1-18. [PMID: 38461431 DOI: 10.1080/13825585.2024.2327677] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2023] [Accepted: 03/01/2024] [Indexed: 03/12/2024]
Abstract
Shared cognitive processes underlie our ability to remember the past (i.e., episodic memory) and imagine the future (i.e., episodic simulation) and age-related declines in episodic memory are also noted when simulating future scenarios. Given older adults' reduced cognitive control and protracted memory retrieval time, we examined whether imposing time limits on episodic simulation of future helping scenarios affects younger and older adults' willingness to help, phenomenological experience, and the type of details produced. Relative to a control task, episodic simulation increased younger and older participants' willingness to help, scene vividness, and perspective-taking regardless of the time spent imagining future helping scenarios. Notably, time spent imagining influenced the number, but not proportion of internal details produced, suggesting that participants' use of episodic-like information remained consistent regardless of the time they spent imagining. The present findings highlight the importance of collecting phenomenological experience when assessing episodic simulation abilities across the lifespan.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Dawn Ryan
- Department of Psychology, Brock University, St. Catharines, Canada
- Department of Psychology, Acadia University, Wolfville, Canada
| | - Karen L Campbell
- Department of Psychology, Brock University, St. Catharines, Canada
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4
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Peng DC, Cowie S, Moreau D, Addis DR. Can the prosocial benefits of episodic simulation transfer to different people and situational contexts? Cognition 2024; 244:105718. [PMID: 38219452 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2024.105718] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2023] [Revised: 12/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/05/2024] [Indexed: 01/16/2024]
Abstract
Previous research has found that episodic simulation of events of helping others can effectively enhance intentions to help the same person involved and the identical situational context as the imagined scenarios. This 'prosocial simulation effect' is argued to reflect, at least in part, associative memory mechanisms whereby the simulation is reactivated when in the same situation as that imagined. However, to date, no study has examined systematically whether this 'prosocial simulation effect' can be transferred to response scenarios involving different people and/or situational contexts to the imagined scenarios, and if so, whether the degree of overlap with the imagined helping episode modulated the transfer effect. Across two experiments, we systematically varied the overlap of the simulated and response scenarios, both in terms of the persons in need and/or the situational contexts, and whether would influence the magnitude of prosocial simulation effect. Results from both experiments showed that the prosocial simulation effect can be transferred to response scenarios involving different people and situational contexts to the simulated scenarios. However, this finding was primarily driven by response scenarios that had a high degree of overlap to the simulated scenarios. The application of our findings to the practical implementation of simulation to promote prosociality in the real world is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ding-Cheng Peng
- School of Psychology, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Sarah Cowie
- School of Psychology, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - David Moreau
- School of Psychology, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand; Centre for Brain Research, School of Psychology, The University of Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Donna Rose Addis
- School of Psychology, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand; Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Health Sciences, Toronto, Canada; Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
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5
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Ramezani T, Zanjari N, Rafiey H, Delbari A. The Concept of Prosociality in Later Life and Its Dimensions: A Scoping Review. IRANIAN JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRY 2024; 19:130-147. [PMID: 38420283 PMCID: PMC10896764 DOI: 10.18502/ijps.v19i1.14348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2022] [Revised: 01/08/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
Objective: The aim of this study was to clarify various aspects and dimensions of the prosociality concept in later life as an important concept that gains significance in people as they age. This concept has been expressed through a variety of dimensions in different studies. Method : This is a scoping review of the relevant literature on the concept of prosociality and its dimensions in later life, including quantitative and qualitative studies. The required data were collected from Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, ProQuest, and Google Scholar databases between the years 1987 and 2022. Results: First, 877 articles were identified, and after the screening phase, 57 eligible studies were reviewed. Two main categories, prosocial dispositions and prosocial behaviors, and seven subcategories were extracted. The subcategories of prosocial dispositions include empathy, prosocial norms, innate tendencies, and generative desires. Prosocial behaviors subcategories include informal spontaneous helping, formal planned helping, and pro-environmental behaviors. Conclusion: The various aspects and dimensions of the prosociality concept in later life identified in this study can be used as a basis for assessing and planning the promotion of prosociality among older adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tahereh Ramezani
- Department of Aging, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Nasibeh Zanjari
- Iranian Research Center on Aging, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Hassan Rafiey
- Social Welfare Management Research Center, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Ahmad Delbari
- Iranian Research Center on Aging, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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6
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Ryan AD, O’Connor BB, Schacter DL, Campbell KL. Episodic simulation of helping behavior in younger and older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. JOURNAL OF APPLIED RESEARCH IN MEMORY AND COGNITION 2023; 12:443-456. [PMID: 37873548 PMCID: PMC10588798 DOI: 10.1037/mac0000073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2023]
Abstract
Imagining helping a person in need increases one's willingness to help beyond levels evoked by passively reading the same stories. We examined whether episodic simulation can increase younger and older adults' willingness to help in novel scenarios posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Across 3 studies we demonstrate that episodic simulation of helping behavior increases younger and older adults' willingness to help during both everyday and COVID-related scenarios. Moreover, we show that imagining helping increases emotional concern, scene imagery, and theory of mind, which in turn relate to increased willingness to help. Studies 2 and 3 also showed that people produce more internal, episodic-like details when imagining everyday compared to COVID-related scenarios, suggesting that people are less able to draw on prior experiences when simulating such novel events. These findings suggest that encouraging engagement with stories of people in need by imagining helping can increase willingness to help during the pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- A. Dawn Ryan
- Department of Psychology, Brock University, Canada
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7
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Ryan AD, Smitko R, Campbell KL. Effect of situation similarity on younger and older adults' episodic simulation of helping behaviours. Sci Rep 2023; 13:9167. [PMID: 37280280 PMCID: PMC10242231 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-36189-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2023] [Accepted: 05/29/2023] [Indexed: 06/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Similar cognitive processes enable us to remember the past (i.e., episodic memory) and simulate future events (i.e., episodic simulation). In the current study, we demonstrate an important role for previous experience when younger and older adults simulate future behaviours. Participants read short descriptions of a person in need of help in scenarios that were more familiar to either younger or older adults (e.g., dealing with dating apps vs writing a cheque). Participants either imagined helping the person or thought about the style of the story (control task), and then rated their willingness to help, scene vividness, emotional concern, and subjective use of theory of mind. Hierarchical mixed effect modelling revealed that both episodic simulation and one's previous experience increased willingness to help, in that participants were more willing to help if they imagined helping and the situation was more familiar to them. Further, in simulated scenarios the relationship between previous experience and willingness to help was mediated by scene vividness and perspective-taking in younger adults, but only by perspective-taking in older adults. Taken together, these findings suggest that situation similarity and episodic simulation increase willingness to help, possibly via different mechanisms in younger and older adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Dawn Ryan
- Department of Psychology, Brock University, 1812 Sir Isaac Brock Way, St. Catharines, ON, L2S 3A1, Canada.
| | - Ronald Smitko
- Department of Psychology, Brock University, 1812 Sir Isaac Brock Way, St. Catharines, ON, L2S 3A1, Canada
| | - Karen L Campbell
- Department of Psychology, Brock University, 1812 Sir Isaac Brock Way, St. Catharines, ON, L2S 3A1, Canada
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8
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Bo O'Connor B, Fowler Z. How Imagination and Memory Shape the Moral Mind. PERSONALITY AND SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY REVIEW 2022; 27:226-249. [PMID: 36062349 DOI: 10.1177/10888683221114215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Interdisciplinary research has proposed a multifaceted view of human cognition and morality, establishing that inputs from multiple cognitive and affective processes guide moral decisions. However, extant work on moral cognition has largely overlooked the contributions of episodic representation. The ability to remember or imagine a specific moment in time plays a broadly influential role in cognition and behavior. Yet, existing research has only begun exploring the influence of episodic representation on moral cognition. Here, we evaluate the theoretical connections between episodic representation and moral cognition, review emerging empirical work revealing how episodic representation affects moral decision-making, and conclude by highlighting gaps in the literature and open questions. We argue that a comprehensive model of moral cognition will require including the episodic memory system, further delineating its direct influence on moral thought, and better understanding its interactions with other mental processes to fundamentally shape our sense of right and wrong.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Zoë Fowler
- University at Albany, State University of New York, USA
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9
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Wardell V, Grilli MD, Palombo DJ. Simulating the best and worst of times: the powers and perils of emotional simulation. Memory 2022; 30:1212-1225. [PMID: 35708272 DOI: 10.1080/09658211.2022.2088796] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
We are remarkably capable of simulating events that we have never experienced. These simulated events often paint an emotional picture to behold, such as the best and worst possible outcomes that we might face. This review synthesises dispersed literature exploring the role of emotion in simulation. Drawing from work that suggests that simulations can influence our preferences, decision-making, and prosociality, we argue for a critical role of emotion in informing the consequences of simulation. We further unpack burgeoning evidence suggesting that the effects of emotional simulation transcend the laboratory. We propose avenues by which emotional simulation may be harnessed for both personal and collective good in applied contexts. We conclude by offering important future directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria Wardell
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Matthew D Grilli
- Department of Psychology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Daniela J Palombo
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
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10
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Campbell D, Tusche A, Bo O’Connor B. Imagination and the Prosocial Personality: Mapping the Effect of Episodic Simulation on Helping Across Prosocial Traits. APPLIED COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/acp.3954] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Dylan Campbell
- Department of Psychology, University at Albany State University of New York Albany NY
| | - Anita Tusche
- Department of Psychology Queen’s University Kingston ON
- Division of the Humanities and Social Sciences California Institute of Technology Pasadena CA
| | - Brendan Bo O’Connor
- Department of Psychology, University at Albany State University of New York Albany NY
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11
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Sawczak C, McAndrews MP, O'Connor BB, Fowler Z, Moscovitch M. I remember therefore I am: Episodic memory retrieval and self-reported trait empathy judgments in young and older adults and individuals with medial temporal lobe excisions. Cognition 2022; 225:105124. [PMID: 35483159 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2022.105124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2020] [Revised: 04/01/2022] [Accepted: 04/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
How do we know what sort of people we are? Do we reflect on specific past instances of our own behaviour, or do we just have a general idea? Previous work has emphasized the role of personal semantic memory (general autobiographical knowledge) in how we assess our own personality traits. Using a standardized trait empathy questionnaire, we show in four experiments that episodic autobiographical memory (memory for specific personal events) is associated with people's judgments of their own trait empathy. Specifically, neurologically healthy young adults rated themselves as more empathic on questionnaire items that cued episodic memories of events in which they behaved empathically. This effect, however, was diminished in people who are known to have poor episodic memory: older adults and individuals who have undergone unilateral excision of medial temporal lobe tissue (as treatment for epilepsy). Further, self-report ratings on individual questionnaire items were generally predicted by subjectively rated phenomenological qualities of the memories cued by those items, such as sensory detail, scene coherence, and overall vividness. We argue that episodic and semantic memory play different roles with respect to self-knowledge depending on life experience, the integrity of the medial temporal lobes, and whether one is assessing general abstract traits versus more concrete behaviours that embody these traits. Future research should examine different types of self-knowledge as well as personality traits other than empathy.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mary Pat McAndrews
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Canada; Krembil Research Institute at Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network, Canada
| | - Brendan Bo O'Connor
- Department of Psychology, University at Albany, State University of New York, USA
| | - Zoë Fowler
- Department of Psychology, University at Albany, State University of New York, USA
| | - Morris Moscovitch
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Canada; Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest Hospital, Canada
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12
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Morris A, O'Connor BB, Cushman F. The role of episodic simulation in motivating commonplace harms. Cognition 2022; 225:105104. [PMID: 35366483 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2022.105104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2021] [Revised: 02/06/2022] [Accepted: 03/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Every day, people face choices which could produce negative outcomes for others, and understanding these decisions is a major aim of social psychology. Here, we show that episodic simulation - a key psychological process implicated in other types of social and moral decision-making - can play a surprising role. Across six experiments, we find that imagining performing actions which adversely affect others makes people report a higher likelihood of performing those actions in the future. This effect happens, in part, because when people construe the actions as morally justified (as they often do spontaneously), imagining doing it makes them feel good. These findings stand in contrast to traditional accounts of harm aversion in moral psychology, and instead contribute to a growing body of evidence that people often cast harming others in a positive light.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam Morris
- Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States of America.
| | - Brendan Bo O'Connor
- Department of Psychology, University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, NY, United States of America
| | - Fiery Cushman
- Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States of America
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13
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Pollerhoff L, Stietz J, Depow GJ, Inzlicht M, Kanske P, Li SC, Reiter AMF. Investigating adult age differences in real-life empathy, prosociality, and well-being using experience sampling. Sci Rep 2022; 12:3450. [PMID: 35236872 PMCID: PMC8891267 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-06620-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2021] [Accepted: 02/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
While the importance of social affect and cognition is indisputable throughout the adult lifespan, findings of how empathy and prosociality develop and interact across adulthood are mixed and real-life data are scarce. Research using ecological momentary assessment recently demonstrated that adults commonly experience empathy in daily life. Furthermore, experiencing empathy was linked to higher prosocial behavior and subjective well-being. However, to date, it is not clear whether there are adult age differences in daily empathy and daily prosociality and whether age moderates the relationship between empathy and prosociality across adulthood. Here we analyzed experience-sampling data collected from participants across the adult lifespan to study age effects on empathy, prosocial behavior, and well-being under real-life circumstances. Linear and quadratic age effects were found for the experience of empathy, with increased empathy across the three younger age groups (18 to 45 years) and a slight decrease in the oldest group (55 years and older). Neither prosocial behavior nor well-being showed significant age-related differences. We discuss these findings with respect to (partially discrepant) results derived from lab-based and traditional survey studies. We conclude that studies linking in-lab experiments with real-life experience-sampling may be a promising venue for future lifespan studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lena Pollerhoff
- Lifespan Developmental Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
| | - Julia Stietz
- Clinical Psychology and Behavioral Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | | | - Michael Inzlicht
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Philipp Kanske
- Clinical Psychology and Behavioral Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Shu-Chen Li
- Lifespan Developmental Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
- Centre for Tactile Internet with Human-in-the-Loop, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Andrea M F Reiter
- Lifespan Developmental Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
- German Centre of Prevention Research On Mental Health, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
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14
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Bullock JG, Green DP. The Failings of Conventional Mediation Analysis and a Design-Based Alternative. ADVANCES IN METHODS AND PRACTICES IN PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2021. [DOI: 10.1177/25152459211047227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Scholars routinely test mediation claims by using some form of measurement-of-mediation analysis whereby outcomes are regressed on treatments and mediators to assess direct and indirect effects. Indeed, it is rare for an issue of any leading journal of social or personality psychology not to include such an analysis. Statisticians have for decades criticized this method on the grounds that it relies on implausible assumptions, but these criticisms have been largely ignored. After presenting examples and simulations that dramatize the weaknesses of the measurement-of-mediation approach, we suggest that scholars instead use an approach that is rooted in experimental design. We propose implicit-mediation analysis, which adds and subtracts features of the treatment in ways that implicate some mediators and not others. We illustrate the approach with examples from recently published articles, explain the differences between the approach and other experimental approaches to mediation, and formalize the assumptions and statistical procedures that allow researchers to learn from experiments that encourage changes in mediators.
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Affiliation(s)
- John G. Bullock
- Department of Political Science, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois
- Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois
| | - Donald P. Green
- Department of Political Science, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
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15
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Devitt AL, Schacter DL. Looking on the Bright Side: Aging and the Impact of Emotional Future Simulation on Subsequent Memory. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 2020; 75:1831-1840. [PMID: 30950496 PMCID: PMC7566964 DOI: 10.1093/geronb/gbz041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES When younger adults simulated positive future events, subsequent memory is positively biased. In the current studies, we explore age-related changes in the impact of emotional future simulation on subsequent memory. METHODS In Experiment 1, younger and older adults simulated emotional future events before learning the hypothetical outcome of each event via narratives. Memory was assessed for emotional details contained in those narratives. In Experiment 2, a shorter temporal delay between simulation and narrative encoding was used to reduce decay of simulation memory over time. RESULTS Future simulation did not bias subsequent memory for older adults in Experiment 1. However, older adults performed similar to younger adults in Experiment 2, with more liberal responses to positive information after positive simulation. DISCUSSION The impact of an optimistic outlook on subsequent memory is reduced with age, which may be at least partly attributable to declining memory for future simulations over time. This work broadens our understanding of the functional consequences of age-related declines in episodic future simulation and adds to previous work showing reduced benefits of simulation with age on tasks tapping adaptive functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aleea L Devitt
- Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Massachusetts
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16
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Gaesser B. Episodic mindreading: Mentalizing guided by scene construction of imagined and remembered events. Cognition 2020; 203:104325. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2020.104325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2019] [Revised: 02/21/2020] [Accepted: 05/07/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
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17
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Wagner IC, Rütgen M, Lamm C. Pattern similarity and connectivity of hippocampal-neocortical regions support empathy for pain. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2020; 15:273-284. [PMID: 32248233 PMCID: PMC7235961 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsaa045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2019] [Revised: 03/23/2020] [Accepted: 03/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Empathy is thought to engage mental simulation, which in turn is known to rely on hippocampal-neocortical processing. Here, we tested how hippocampal-neocortical pattern similarity and connectivity contributed to pain empathy. Using this approach, we analyzed a data set of 102 human participants who underwent functional MRI while painful and non-painful electrical stimulation was delivered to themselves or to a confederate. As hypothesized, results revealed increased pattern similarity between first-hand pain and pain empathy (compared to non-painful control conditions) within the hippocampus, retrosplenial cortex, the temporo-parietal junction and anterior insula. While representations in these regions were unaffected by confederate similarity, pattern similarity in the dorsal medial prefrontal cortex was increased the more dissimilar the other individual was perceived. Hippocampal-neocortical connectivity during first-hand pain and pain empathy engaged largely distinct but neighboring primary motor regions, and empathy-related hippocampal coupling with the fusiform gyrus positively scaled with trait measures of perspective taking. These findings suggest that shared representations and mental simulation might contribute to pain empathy via hippocampal-neocortical pattern similarity and connectivity, partially affected by personality traits and the similarity of the observed individual.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabella C Wagner
- Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Unit, Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Liebiggasse 5, Vienna 1010, Austria
| | - Markus Rütgen
- Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Unit, Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Liebiggasse 5, Vienna 1010, Austria
| | - Claus Lamm
- Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Unit, Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Liebiggasse 5, Vienna 1010, Austria
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Gaesser B, Hirschfeld-Kroen J, Wasserman EA, Horn M, Young L. A role for the medial temporal lobe subsystem in guiding prosociality: the effect of episodic processes on willingness to help others. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2020; 14:397-410. [PMID: 30809675 PMCID: PMC6523441 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsz014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2018] [Revised: 01/27/2019] [Accepted: 02/14/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Why are we willing to help others? Recent behavioral work on episodic processes (i.e. the ability to represent an event that is specific in time and place) suggests that imagining and remembering scenes of helping a person in need increases intentions to help. Here, we provide insight into the cognitive and neural mechanisms that enhance prosocial intentions via episodic simulation and memory. In Experiment 1, we scanned participants using functional neuroimaging as they imagined and remembered helping episodes, and completed non-episodic control conditions accounting for exposure to the story of need and conceptual priming of helping. Analyses revealed that activity in the medial temporal lobe (MTL) subsystem, as well as the right temporoparietal junction (RTPJ) predicted the effect of conditions on the strength of prosocial intentions. In Experiment 2, we used transcranial magnetic stimulation to disrupt activity in the RTPJ, and better isolate the contribution of MTL subsystem to prosocial intentions. The effect of conditions on willingness to help remained even when activity in the RTPJ was disrupted, suggesting that activity in the MTL subsystem may primarily support this prosocial effect. It seems our willingness to help may be guided, in part, by how easily we can construct imagined and remembered helping episodes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brendan Gaesser
- Department of Psychology, University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, NY, USA
| | | | | | - Mary Horn
- Department of Psychology, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, USA
| | - Liane Young
- Department of Psychology, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, USA
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19
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Episodic simulation and empathy in older adults and patients with unilateral medial temporal lobe excisions. Neuropsychologia 2019; 135:107243. [PMID: 31698010 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2019.107243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2019] [Revised: 10/29/2019] [Accepted: 10/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Recent work shows that vividly imagining oneself helping others in situations of need (episodic simulation) increases one's willingness to help. The mechanisms underlying this effect are unclear, though it is known that the medial temporal lobe (MTL) is critical for supporting episodic simulation in general. Therefore, individuals who have compromised MTL functioning, such as older adults and those who have undergone resection of medial temporal lobe tissue as treatment for epilepsy (mTLE patients), may not show the prosocial effects of episodic simulation. Our lab previously found that older adults and mTLE patients are impaired on a problem-solving task that requires the simulation of hypothetical scenarios. Using similar logic in the present study, we predicted that older adults and mTLE patients would show reduced effects of episodic simulation on their empathic concern for, and willingness to help, people in hypothetical situations of need, compared to young adults and age-matched healthy controls, respectively. We also predicted that the subjective vividness and the amount of context-specific detail in imagined helping events would correlate with willingness to help and empathic concern. Participants read brief stories describing individuals in situations of need, and after each story either imagined themselves helping the person or performed a filler task. We analyzed the details in participants' oral descriptions of their imagined helping events and also collected subjective ratings of vividness, willingness to help, and empathic concern. Episodic simulation significantly boosted willingness to help in all groups except for mTLE patients, and it increased empathic concern in young adults and healthy controls but not in older adults or mTLE patients. While the level of context-specific detail in participants' oral descriptions of imaged events was unrelated to willingness to help and empathic concern, the effects of episodic simulation on these measures was completely mediated by subjective vividness, though to a significantly lesser degree among mTLE patients. These results increase our understanding not only of how episodic simulation works in healthy people, but also of the social and emotional consequences of compromised MTL functioning.
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Artistico D, Cervone D, Garcia CM. My Problems Are Solvable: Idiographic Methods Offset Age Differences in Interpersonal Problem Solving Among Young, Middle-Aged, and Older Adults. Front Psychol 2019; 10:276. [PMID: 30809182 PMCID: PMC6379327 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2018] [Accepted: 01/28/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
This study tested the hypothesis that older adults retain high levels of everyday problem solving performance when confronting problems of maximal ecological relevance, identified through idiographic methods. Younger, middle-aged, and older adults completed a daily challenge questionnaire (DCQ) in which they reported problems of maximal personal relevance or idiographic problems. The large majority of the problems reported were interpersonal. We then assessed performance on an everyday problem-solving task in which participants generated solutions for idiographic problems as well as problems generated by group matched research participants representing each of two other age groups (e.g., older adults received their own problems plus problems generated by matched younger and middle-aged adults). Performance was measured by computing the total number of safe and effective solutions provided. Results fully supported our hypothesis; adults of all ages showed higher performance when solving their idiographic problems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniele Artistico
- Baruch College, The City University of New York, New York City, NY, United States
| | - Daniel Cervone
- Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Carolina Montes Garcia
- Baruch College, The City University of New York, New York City, NY, United States.,Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU), Baruch College, Columbia University, New York City, NY, United States
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21
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Gaesser B, Keeler K, Young L. Moral imagination: Facilitating prosocial decision-making through scene imagery and theory of mind. Cognition 2018; 171:180-193. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2017.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2017] [Revised: 11/09/2017] [Accepted: 11/10/2017] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
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Abstract
Episodic future thinking refers to the capacity to imagine or simulate experiences that might occur in one's personal future. Cognitive, neuropsychological, and neuroimaging research concerning episodic future thinking has accelerated during recent years. This article discusses research that has delineated cognitive and neural mechanisms that support episodic future thinking as well as the functions that episodic future thinking serves. Studies focused on mechanisms have identified a core brain network that underlies episodic future thinking and have begun to tease apart the relative contributions of particular regions in this network, and the specific cognitive processes that they support. Studies concerned with functions have identified several domains in which episodic future thinking produces performance benefits, including decision making, emotion regulation, prospective memory, and spatial navigation.
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