Culture Shapes Efficiency of Facial Age Judgments

Background: Cultural differences in socialization can lead to characteristic differences in how we perceive the world. Consistent with this influence of differential experience, our perception of faces (e.g., preference, recognition ability) is shaped by our previous experience with different groups of individuals. Methodology/Principal Findings: Here, we examined whether cultural differences in social practices influence our perception of faces. Japanese, Chinese, and Asian-Canadian young adults made relative age judgments (i.e., which of these two faces is older?) for East Asian faces. Cross-cultural differences in the emphasis on respect for older individuals was reflected in participants ’ latency in facial age judgments for middle-age adult faces—with the Japanese young adults performing the fastest, followed by the Chinese, then the Asian-Canadians. In addition, consistent with the differential behavioural and linguistic markers used in the Japanese culture when interacting with individuals younger than oneself, only the Japanese young adults showed an advantage in judging the relative age of children’s faces. Conclusions/Significance: Our results show that different sociocultural practices shape our efficiency in processing facia

Psychometric properties of the Negative Stereotypes Towards Aging Questionnaire (CENVE) among a sample of Portuguese adults

Stereotyped beliefs about old age and the aging process have proven to strongly promote negative behaviors toward the elderly, with unfavorable influences on their mental and physical health. Therefore, it is important to assess negative aging attitudes with brief but reliable and validated measurement instruments. The psychometric properties of the Portuguese version of the Negative Stereotypes Towards Aging Questionnaire (15 items self-reported) are explored and described in a sample of 302 participants (213 females and 89 males) between the ages of 18 and 59 years old. Confirmatory Factor Analysis shows a one-factor structure, similar to the Spanish version. The internal reliability and mean inter-item correlation showed satisfactory psychometric proprieties. Factorial ANOVA reveals that differences in agism beliefs are mainly related to educational level, with lower negative stereotypes in more educated adults. No differences were found concerning gender. This instrument may be a useful tool to assess negative stereotypes toward old age and the aging process.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Socioeconomic position and incident mobility impairment in the Cardiovascular Health Study

Background We investigated if personal socioeconomic position (SEP) factors and neighborhood characteristics were associated with incident mobility impairment in the elderly. Methods We used data from the Cardiovascular Health Study, a longitudinal, population-based examination of coronary heart disease and stroke among persons aged 65 and older in the United States. Results Among 3,684 persons without baseline mobility impairment, lower baseline SEP was associated with increased risk of incident mobility disability during the 10-year follow-up period, although the strengths of these associations varied by socioeconomic indicator and race/sex group. Conclusion Among independent-living elderly, SEP affected development of mobility impairment into later life. Particular effort should be made to prevent or delay its onset among the elderlyhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/57781/1/Socioeconomic Position and Incident Mobility Impairment in the Cardiovascular Health Study.pd

Do Physiotherapy Students Demonstrate Ageist Attitude? A Scoping Review of Literature.

Aims: To describe attitudes of physiotherapy students toward older adults and their interest in working with them; and to identify factors that may influence physiotherapy students' attitude, knowledge and beliefs toward older adults or interest in working with them. Methods: We used the five-step scoping review approach described by Arksey and O'Malley (2005). We obtained studies published or in press between 2000 and 2016 of attitudes of physiotherapy students towards older adults either alone or among other groups. We excluded qualitative studies, opinion papers and articles focused on determining the psychometric properties of questionnaires. Two independent coders identify the major themes in the included studies. Results: Fourteen studies met criteria and were reviewed in detail. All reported that physiotherapy students have positive attitude towards older adults. Only four studies reported physiotherapy students' interest in working with older adults, of which three reported low interest and one reported moderate interest. Contact with older adults before entering physiotherapy education was the only factor that showed a consistently positive influence on attitudes toward older adults. Conclusions: Physiotherapy students do not demonstrate ageist attitude but have low interest in working with older adults.</p