Supplemental Material for Adult Age Differences, Response Management, and Cue Focality in Event-Based Prospective Memory: A Meta-Analysis on the Role of Task Order Specificity

A number of developmental theories have been proposed that make differential predictions about the links between age and temporal discounting; that is, the valuation of rewards at different points in time. Most empirical studies examining adult age differences in temporal discounting have relied on economic intertemporal choice tasks, which pit choosing a smaller, sooner monetary reward against choosing a larger, later one. Although initial studies using these tasks suggested older adults discount less than younger adults, follow-up studies provided heterogeneous, and thus inconclusive, results. Using an open science approach, we test the replicability of adult age differences in temporal discounting by conducting a preregistered systematic literature search and meta-analysis of adult age differences in intertemporal choice tasks. Across 37 cross-sectional studies (Total N = 104,736), we found no reliable relation between age and temporal discounting (r = -0.081, 95% CI [-0.185, 0.025]). We also found little evidence of publication bias or p-hacking. Exploratory analyses of moderators found no effect of experimental design (e.g., extreme-group vs. continuous age), incentives (hypothetical vs. rewards), amount of delay (e.g., days, weeks, months, or years), or quantification of discounting behavior (e.g., proportion of immediate choices vs. parameters from computational modeling). Additional analyses of 12 participant-level data sets found little support for a nonlinear relation between age and temporal discounting across adulthood. Overall, the results suggest that adult age is not reliably associated with individual differences in temporal discounting. We provide recommendations for future empirical work on temporal discounting across the adult life span.

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Adult Age Differences in Dual Information Processes: Implications for the Role of Affective and Deliberative Processes in Older Adults' Decision Making

Perspectives on Psychological Science ◽

10.1111/j.1745-6916.2007.00025.x ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

pp. 1-23 ◽

Cited By ~ 158

Author(s):

Ellen Peters ◽

Thomas M. Hess ◽

Daniel Västfjäll ◽

Corinne Auman

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Decision Making ◽

Age Differences ◽

Adult Age ◽

Information Processes ◽

Adult Age Differences ◽

Deliberative Processes

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Adult age differences in prospective memory in the laboratory: are they related to higher stress levels in the elderly?

Frontiers in Human Neuroscience ◽

10.3389/fnhum.2014.01021 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Andreas Ihle ◽

Matthias Kliegel ◽

Alexandra Hering ◽

Nicola Ballhausen ◽

Prune Lagner ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Prospective Memory ◽

Age Differences ◽

The Elderly ◽

Adult Age ◽

Stress Levels ◽

Adult Age Differences

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Influence of Experience on Age Differences in Cognitive Functioning

Human Factors The Journal of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society ◽

10.1177/001872089003200505 ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 32 (5) ◽

pp. 551-569 ◽

Cited By ~ 59

Author(s):

Timothy A. Salthouse

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Functioning ◽

Cognitive Performance ◽

Age Differences ◽

Additional Research ◽

Cognitive Differences ◽

Adult Age ◽

Age Related ◽

Adult Age Differences ◽

Potential Moderator

To the extent that adult age differences in measures of cognitive performance have implications for functioning outside the psychological laboratory, the question of the role of experience as a potential moderator of these differences becomes extremely important. Three categories of research relevant to this issue are reviewed, and methodological limitations of each type of research are discussed. Although it is frequently asserted that experience minimizes cognitive differences associated with aging, the evidence currently available does not appear consistent with a strong experiential moderation of age-related effects in cognitive performance. However, the paucity of relevant studies and the methodological weaknesses of those that do exist preclude a definitive conclusion at the present time. Additional research with improved methodology is necessary before strong conclusions can be reached concerning effects of experience on age differences in cognition.

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