AGE DIFFERENCES IN THE TEMPORAL PATTERNS OF SELF-CONTINUITY AND TEMPORAL DISCOUNTING
2024
Age Differences in Self-Continuity and Temporal Discounting
Sample size: 461
publication
Author Information
Author(s): Lu Yi, Loeckenhoff Corinna
Primary Institution: Cornell University
Hypothesis
How do age differences affect self-continuity and temporal discounting?
Conclusion
Older adults show a stronger connection with their past and future selves and value delayed rewards more consistently than younger adults.
Supporting Evidence
- Older adults feel more connected to their past and future selves.
- The perceived value of delayed rewards is more stable with age.
- Hyperbolic models better fit the data on self-continuity and temporal discounting.
Takeaway
As people get older, they feel more connected to their past and future selves and are better at valuing things that will happen later.
Methodology
The study assessed self-continuity and temporal discounting across four time intervals in a U.S. adult life-span sample.
Participant Demographics
Participants were aged 18–96, with a mean age of 51.38 years, 52% female, and 65% Non-Hispanic White.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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