Abstract
Older adults fixate less on negative parts of skin cancer videos than younger adults, leading them to feel better (Isaacowitz & Choi, 2012). We extended this paradigm to middle-aged adults (ages 35-59, n = 63), whose fixation patterns were measured as they viewed skin cancer videos; mood and behavior were also assessed. Middle-aged adults looked even less at the videos than the other age groups, especially at the negative clips. They also reported the best moods but relatively low levels of learning and positive skin cancer behavior. In some cases, middle-aged adults may show larger "age-related positivity effects" than older adults.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 342-350 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Psychology and Aging |
| Volume | 29 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jun 2014 |
Keywords
- Attention
- Health messages
- Middle-aged adults
- Mood
- Positivity effects