Optimizing and Compensatory Functions of Social Decision-Making Preferences

Abstract When making decisions, older people may prefer to work with others to optimize their performance or to compensate for declines in decision-making ability. Using participants from RAND’s American Life Panel (N=1075, Mage = 53.49, we investigated associations among self-reported preferences to make decisions alone and with others, perceived ability to make decisions (compared to age peers and over time), and perceived benefits of aging for decision-making. Older age and perceiving better decision-making abilities relative to peers were associated with greater preferences to make decisions alone and lesser preferences to make decisions with others. Greater preferences for making decisions with others were associated with perceiving improvements in decision-making ability over time and more positive beliefs about aging and decision making. Women were more likely than men to report preferring to make decisions with others. We discuss optimizing and compensatory functions of social preferences for decision making.

Is there a "double standard" (i.e., a harsher judgment) in the perceived ages at which women and men reach old age, and have these judgments changed over time? We use European Social Survey data from 23 countries in 2006 and newly released data from 16 of those countries in 2018. In both 2006 and 2018, men typically assign women substantially earlier ages than women themselves do. In some places, however, men also give themselves lower ages than women give them. With respect to when women become old, the differential views of men and women are persistent. So is the fact that women differentiate less between the sexes¬-though men differentiate less in 2018 relative to 2006. We use multilevel modeling to examine variation explained by both individual characteristics and country indicators of demographic and policy contexts. Findings underscore the significance of the double standard in cultural constructions of aging.

AGING AND DECISION MAKING: SOCIO-EMOTIONAL AND CONTEXTUAL FACTORS
Chair: JoNell Strough Co-Chair: Corinna Loeckenhoff Discussant: Susan Charles Maintaining sound decision-making skills in later life is a key concern in the face of population aging. The four presentations in this symposium highlight the importance of considering socio-emotional and contextual factors when investigating adult age differences in decision making. Together, they show that features of decision contexts such as the way information is presented, along with social relationships and emotional responses, have distinct implications for understanding age effects in decision-related processing and outcomes. Drawing from fuzzy trace theory, Nolte, Löckenhoff and Reyna showed that gist-based ("good," "extremely poor") versus verbatim information (exact numbers) was differentially appealing to younger and older adults, with older adults seeking more gist information than verbatim information. Young and Mikels investigated older and younger adults' integral emotional responses to a behavioral risk-taking task. Younger adults experienced more anger and less contentment than older adults. These emotions differentially predicted risk taking in the two groups. Seaman, Christensen, Senn, Cooper, and Cassidy found age differences in learning about the trustworthiness of social partners. Older adults showed less learning relative to younger adults and invested less with trustworthy partners and more with untrustworthy partners. Smith, Strough, Parker and Bruine de Bruin found that older age, perceiving better decision-making ability than age peers, and perceiving declines in ability over time, were associated with lesser preferences for making decisions with others. In her discussion, Charles will integrate these findings with existing research on aging and decision making and offers directions for future research.

THE INFLUENCE OF VERBATIM VERSUS GIST FORMATTING ON YOUNGER AND OLDER ADULTS' INFORMATION ACQUISITION Julia Nolte, Corinna Loeckenhoff, and Valerie Reyna, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States
It is well-established that pre-decisional information seeking decreases with age (Mata & Nunes, 2010). However, it is still unknown whether age differences in information acquisition are influenced by the type of information provided. Fuzzy-trace theory suggests that decision makers prefer gist-based over verbatim-based processing, and that this preference increases across the lifespan. Therefore, we hypothesized that age differences arise when presenting participants with verbatim details (such as exact numbers) but not gist information (such as "extremely poor" or "good"). In a lab-based experiment, 68 younger adults and 66 older adults completed a gist-based and a verbatim-based search task before making health insurance choices. Younger and older adults reviewed similar amounts of information in either condition. In line with Fuzzy-trace theory, however, older adults sought more information when presented with gist rather than verbatim information. The role of ageassociated covariates and implications for decision-making will be discussed.

AGE DIFFERENCES IN DISCRETE EMOTIONAL STATES DURING RISK TAKING Nathaniel Young, and Joseph Mikels, DePaul University, Chicago, Illinois, United States
Emotions often guide risk-taking. For example, anger tends to lead to increased risk-taking. However, older and younger adults differ in their emotional experiences: older adults tend to report more positive emotions, fewer experiences of anger, and relatively similar or increased experiences of sadness relative to younger adults. As such, differences in emotional experience may manifest in the integral emotional responses of older and younger adults as they take risks. The current work examined the discrete integral emotional responses of older and younger adults as they completed the Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART). For the BART, participants completed 40 trials. Prior to each trial, participants reported how much anger, sadness, contentment, and excitement they felt. The results indicate that younger adults experienced more anger and less contentment than older adults in response to the BART. Importantly though, age differences also emerged in how discrete emotions predicted subsequent risk-taking. When making decisions, older people may prefer to work with others to optimize their performance or to compensate for declines in decision-making ability. Using participants from RAND's American Life Panel (N=1075, Mage = 53.49, we investigated associations among self-reported preferences to make decisions alone and with others, perceived ability to make decisions (compared to age peers and over time), and perceived benefits of aging for decision-making. Older age and perceiving better decision-making abilities relative to peers were associated with greater preferences to make decisions alone and lesser preferences to make decisions with others. Greater preferences for making decisions with others were associated with perceiving improvements in decision-making ability over time and more positive beliefs about aging and decision making. Women were more likely than men to report preferring to make decisions with others. We discuss optimizing and compensatory functions of social preferences for decision making.

SOCIAL ASSOCIATIVE LEARNING AND TRUST FORMATION ACROSS ADULTHOOD
Kendra Seaman, 1 Alexander Christensen, 2 Katherine Senn, 2 Jessica Cooper, 3 and Brittany Cassidy, 2 1. The University of Texas at Dallas,Dallas,Texas,United States,Greensboro,North Carolina,United States,3. Emory University,Atlanta,Georgia,United States Trust is a key component of social interaction. Older adults, however, often exhibit excessive trust relative to younger adults. One explanation is that older adults may learn to trust differently than younger adults. Here, we report a study examining how younger (N=36) and older adults (N=37) learn to trust over time. Participants completed a classic iterative trust game with three partners (15 trials each). Younger and older adults shared similar amounts but there were differences in how they shared that money. Compared to younger adults, older adults invested more with untrustworthy partners and less with trustworthy partners. As a group, older adults displayed less learning than younger adults and computational modeling suggests that older adults used different learning strategies. These findings suggest that older adults attend to and learn from social cues differently from younger adults. Neuroimaging results focused on reward processing will also be discussed.

AGING AND GAMING: THE SCIENCE AND PROMISE OF TECHNOLOGY-BASED LEISURE ACTIVITIES AND INTERVENTIONS Chair: Chantal Kerssens
Much research has focused on technology to support older adults in basic and instrumental activities of daily living. Much less is known about technology supports of hobbies and leisure later in life. Physical, cognitive and social activities potentially delay the onset and progression of disease, including dementia. Older adults are interested in digital games, applications (apps) and social technologies, and will use technology provided their needs, preferences and goals are met. Moreover, video games can be designed to promote satisfying social experiences between players of differing capabilities. More work, however, is needed to understand older adults' interactions and engagement with game-based interventions. This symposium presents cutting-edge research findings and design recommendations for technologybased leisure activities and interventions in older adults. Yow et al. present data from a large, touch-screen dual language intervention program with cognitive training tools aimed at slowing down the rate of cognitive decline in older adults with dementia. Boot et al. present longitudinal data from the Center for Research and Education on Aging and Technology Enhancement (CREATE) with a focus on leisure and videogames; Freed et al. present older adults' attitudes and experiences with an exercise videogame (exergame). Lin et al. discuss the early effects of an exergame involving real-world physical activity on activity, social contact and stress levels in dementia caregivers. Kerssens et al. discuss the creation and testing of an adapted, accessible version of beloved board games for people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and a care partner without MCI. Technology and Aging Interest Group Sponsored Symposium. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) affects millions of older Americans and progression to dementia is common. Although people with MCI may experience impairments, they are often highly verbal, able, and eager to uphold beloved routines. Moreover, many seek opportunities to stay active, physically and mentally, to support their brain health. Some forms of cognitive training and social engagement potentially delay the onset and progression of disease, including dementia. This 12-month project used mixed methods to co-design and test an accessible version of well-known board games for people with MCI and a care partner without MCI. The overall goal was to foster a meaningful, joyous, social activity for players with differing capabilities using adapted game mechanics to create a compelling experience for both players. Coping strategies of care partners were studied to learn ways to foster positive interactions. Findings inform recommendations for game design and clinical interventions. Part of a symposium sponsored by Technology and Aging Interest Group.