scholarly journals Age-congruency and contact effects in body expression recognition from point-light displays (PLD)

PeerJ ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. e2796 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petra M.J. Pollux ◽  
Frouke Hermens ◽  
Alexander P. Willmott
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Social Skill ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Whole Body ◽  
Expression Recognition ◽  
Age Bias ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Experience Effects ◽  
Point Light ◽  
Body Expression

Recognition of older people’s body expressions is a crucial social skill. We here investigate how age, not just of the observer, but also of the observed individual, affects this skill. Age may influence the ability to recognize other people’s body expressions by changes in one’s own ability to perform certain action over the life-span (i.e., an own-age bias may occur, with best recognition for one’s own age). Whole body point light displays of children, young adults and older adults (>70 years) expressing six different emotions were presented to observers of the same three age-groups. Across two variations of the paradigm, no evidence for the predicted own-age bias (a cross-over interaction between one’s own age and the observed person’s age) was found. Instead, experience effects were found with children better recognizing older actors’ expressions of ‘active emotions,’ such as anger and happiness with greater exposure in daily life. Together, the findings suggest that age-related changes in one own’s mobility only influences body expression categorization in young children who interact frequently with older adults.

scholarly journals DISENTANGLING KNOWLEDGE AND BIAS: COMBATING AGEISM WITH THE REVISED FACTS ON AGING QUIZ

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S455-S455
Author(s):  
Jensen Davis ◽  
Linda Breytspraak ◽  
Jacob Marszalek ◽  
Joan McDowd
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Psychological Health ◽  
Factor Model ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Factual Knowledge ◽  
Factual Information ◽  
Age Bias ◽  
Aging Research ◽  
Response Options ◽  
Test Of Knowledge

Abstract The Facts on Aging Quiz (FoAQ) was developed in 1977 as a 25-item True/False test of knowledge about older adults. Since that time, it has been utilized in hundreds of studies involving clarifying misconceptions, measuring factual knowledge across different groups, and assessing bias toward older adults. The current study examines the psychometric properties of a revision to the FoAQ created in 2015 that modified the original items and added 25 more to better reflect contemporary aging research. Participants were sampled using Qualtrics and MTurk platforms and targeted to equally represent the following four age groups: 18-34, 35-49, 50-64, and 65 and older. Exploratory factor analysis (n=956) did not support a multi-factor structure, contrary to previous theories of it having cognitive, physical, societal, and psychological health factors. A single factor model was forced which contained 28 items that only accounted for 26% of the variance in scores. The reliability reached satisfactory levels in the younger three age groups with the 28-item version but remained inadequate among those 65 and older. Small associations with the Expectations Regarding Aging-12 and Aging Semantic Differential scales were observed. In its present format, the FoAQ is not sufficient for research use but remains a useful tool in provoking discussion about age bias and areas in which people of all ages lack factual information. Researchers suggest an expansion in response options and further clarifying the use of this instrument as a measure of knowledge or bias.

scholarly journals Age Differences in the Required Coefficient of Friction During Level Walking Do Not Exist When Experimentally-Controlling Speed and Step Length

2014 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 542-546 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dennis E. Anderson ◽  
Christopher T. Franck ◽  
Michael L. Madigan
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Age Differences ◽  
Coefficient Of Friction ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Step Length ◽  
Age Difference ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Independent Effects ◽  
Positive Effect

The effects of gait speed and step length on the required coefficient of friction (COF) confound the investigation of age-related differences in required COF. The goals of this study were to investigate whether age differences in required COF during self-selected gait persist when experimentally-controlling speed and step length, and to determine the independent effects of speed and step length on required COF. Ten young and 10 older healthy adults performed gait trials under five gait conditions: self-selected, slow and fast speeds without controlling step length, and slow and fast speeds while controlling step length. During self-selected gait, older adults walked with shorter step lengths and exhibited a lower required COF. Older adults also exhibited a lower required COF when walking at a controlled speed without controlling step length. When both age groups walked with the same speed and step length, no age difference in required COF was found. Thus, speed and step length can have a large influence on studies investigating age-related differences in required COF. It was also found that speed and step length have independent and opposite effects on required COF, with step length having a strong positive effect on required COF, and speed having a weaker negative effect.

Age- and gender-related normative value of whole-body sagittal alignment based on 584 asymptomatic Chinese adult population from age 20 to 89

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Z Hu ◽  
GCW Man ◽  
KH Yeung ◽  
WH Cheung ◽  
WCW Chu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lower Limb ◽  
Sagittal Alignment ◽  
Pearson Correlation ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Whole Body ◽  
Normative Values ◽  
Chinese Adults ◽  
Age And Gender ◽  
Age Related ◽  
And Gender

To establish the age- and sex-related normative values of sagittal alignment in asymptomatic Chinese adults, and to investigate the changes and possible associated compensation mechanisms across age groups. 584 asymptomatic Chinese adults aged 20–89 years were recruited. Subjects were grouped according to age and gender. Whole-body standing radiographs were acquired for evaluating sagittal alignment from spine to lower limb. Sagittal parameters between gender in different age groups were compared via independent t test. Pearson correlation analysis was used to demonstrate relationships between parameters. Thoracic kyphosis (TK) increased steadily while lumbar lordosis decreased gradually in both genders. Pelvic tilt (PT) in male is greater than in female across all age groups with age related gradual increase. There were significant differences between male and female from 20s to 60s in terms of knee flexion angle (KA) and ankle dorsiflexion angle (AA), but the differences were not significant after 60s. T1 pelvic angle (TPA) was significantly correlated with spinal, pelvic and lower-limb alignment. The older group (≥50 years) had a stronger correlation of TPA with PT and KA, whereas the younger (<50 years) had stronger correlation with TK. This study comprehensively presented the normative sagittal alignment based on a large asymptomatic population, which could serve as an age- and gender-specific reference value for spine surgeons when planning for correction surgery. Age can influence the recruitment of compensation mechanism that involve more pelvic and lower limb mechanisms for elderly people.

scholarly journals Automated Speech Recognition Systems and Older Adults: A Literature Review and Synthesis

2019 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
pp. 42-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren Werner ◽  
Gaojian Huang ◽  
Brandon J. Pitts
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Speech Recognition ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Automated Speech Recognition ◽  
Technological Developments ◽  
Physical Changes

The number of older adults is growing significantly worldwide. At the same time, technological developments are rapidly evolving, and older populations are expected to interact more frequently with such sophisticated systems. Automated speech recognition (ASR) systems is an example of one technology that is increasingly present in daily life. However, age-related physical changes may alter speech production and limit the effectiveness of ASR systems for older individuals. The goal of this paper was to summarize the current knowledge on ASR systems and older adults. The PRISMA method was employed and 17 studies were compared on the basis of word error rate (WER). Overall, WER was found to be influenced by age, gender, and the number of speech samples used to train ASR systems. This work has implications for the development of future human-machine technologies that will be used by a wide range of age groups.

Changes in the Dynamic Stability of Walking in Active Healthy Older Adults Independent of Changes in Walking Speed

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyun Gu Kang ◽  
Jonathan B. Dingwell
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
Dynamic Stability ◽  
Walking Speed ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Leg Strength ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Risk Of Falls ◽  
Walking Speeds

Older adults commonly walk slower, which many believe helps improve their walking stability. However, they remain at increased risk of falls. We investigated how differences in age and walking speed independently affect dynamic stability during walking, and how age-related changes in leg strength and ROM affected this relationship. Eighteen active healthy older and 17 younger adults walked on a treadmill for 5 minutes each at each of 5 speeds (80–120% of preferred). Local divergence exponents and maximum Floquet multipliers (FM) were calculated to quantify each subject’s responses to small inherent perturbations during walking. These older adults exhibited the same preferred walking speeds as the younger subjects (p = 0.860). However, these older adults still exhibited greater local divergence exponents (p&lt;0.0001) and higher maximum FM (p&lt;0.007) than young adults at all walking speeds. These older adults remained more unstable (p&lt;0.04) even after adjusting for declines in both strength and ROM. In both age groups, local divergence exponents decreased at slower speeds and increased at faster speeds (p&lt;0.0001). Maximum FM showed similar changes with speed (p&lt;0.02). The older adults in this study were healthy enough to walk at normal speeds. However, these adults were still more unstable than the young adults, independent of walking speed. This greater instability was not explained by loss of leg strength and ROM. Slower speeds led to decreased instability in both groups.

scholarly journals ANGER, LOVE, SADNESS: DO EMOTION WORDS HAVE THE SAME SEMANTIC MEANING ACROSS AGE-GROUPS?

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S841-S842
Author(s):  
Madeline J Nichols ◽  
Jennifer A Bellingtier ◽  
Frances Buttelmann
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Age Differences ◽  
Language Use ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Past Research ◽  
Semantic Meaning ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Emotion Words ◽  
Emotion Word ◽  
Age Related

Abstract Every day we use emotion words to describe our experiences, but past research finds that the meanings of these words can vary. Furthermore, historical shifts in language use and experiential knowledge of the emotions may contribute to age-differences in what these emotion words convey. We examined age-related differences in the valence, arousal, and expression connoted by the words anger, love, and sadness. We predicted age-related differences in the semantic meanings of the words would emerge such that older adults would more clearly differentiate the positivity/negativity of the words, whereas younger adults would report higher endorsement for the conveyed arousal and expression. Participants included American and German older adults (N=61; mean age=68.98) and younger adults (N=77; mean age=20.77). Using the GRID instrument (Swiss Center for Affective Sciences, 2013), they rated each emotion word for its valence, arousal, and expression when used by a speaker of the participant’s native language. Across emotions and dimensions, older adults were generally more moderate in their understanding of emotion words. For example, German older adults rated anger and sadness as suggesting the speaker felt less bad and more good than the younger adults. American older adults rated love as connoting the speaker felt more bad and less good than younger adults. Arousal ratings were higher for German younger, as opposed to older, adults. Cultural differences were most pronounced for sadness such that German participants gave more moderate answers than American participants. Overall, our research suggests that there are age-related differences in the understanding of emotion words.

scholarly journals Dynapaenic obesity and its association with health outcomes in older adult populations: protocol for a systematic review

BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. e027728 ◽  
Author(s):  
Siobhan Leahy ◽  
Marica Cassarino ◽  
Matthew DL O' Connell ◽  
Liam Glynn ◽  
Rose Galvin
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Older Adult ◽  
Observational Studies ◽  
Functional Disability ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Ageing Population ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Age Related

IntroductionTwo major global health challenges are the rapidly ageing population and the high prevalence of obesity in all age groups. Older adults are also susceptible to age-related loss of muscle strength, termed dynapaenia. The co-occurrence of both obesity and dynapaenia, termed dynapaenic obesity (DO), has been associated with poorer health outcomes and increased healthcare usage compared with either state alone. The purpose of this systematic review is to quantify the prevalence and incidence of DO in older adult populations, and to explore the association between DO and health outcomes, specifically chronic disease and multimorbidity, functional disability and healthcare usage.Methods and analysisUsing the Meta-analyses Of Observational Studies in Epidemiology guidelines, we will conduct a systematic review of cross-sectional and longitudinal observational studies of older adults, which include measures of DO and specified outcomes. Detailed literature searches of will be conducted using six electronic databases: Excerpta Medica dataBASE (EMBASE), PubMed, MEDLINE, SCOPUS, ScienceDirect and Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Complete (CINAHL), including articles published from database inception until Febuary 2019. The reference lists of included articles will also be searched. Two independent reviewers will undertake a three-step screening and review process using the Population, Risk Factor, Outcome framework to define eligibility. The Newcastle Ottawa Scale for non-randomised studies will be used to assess risk of bias and to rate study quality. The findings will be synthesised in a narrative summary, and a meta-analysis will be conducted where appropriate.Ethics and disseminationEthical approval is not required for this systematic review. Findings from this research will be submitted for peer-reviewed publication in academic journals, and presented at relevant academic conferences.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42018112471.

Comprehension of Explicit and Implicit Warning Information in Younger and Older Adults

2001 ◽  
Vol 45 (20) ◽  
pp. 1474-1478
Author(s):  
Holly E. Hancock ◽  
Arthur D. Fisk ◽  
Wendy A. Rogers
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Text Comprehension ◽  
Safety Information ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Comprehensive Investigation ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Product Usage ◽  
Implicit Information ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Safe Product

Successful comprehension of warning text necessitates an ability to understand both explicitly stated safety information, as well as information about hazards and safe product usage that may be implied. Comprehension level for this type of text may vary across age groups as a function of normal age-related changes that may be experienced in memory and text comprehension in general. To date, there has been no comprehensive investigation of how well younger and older adults understand explicit and implicit information associated with actual product warnings. In the current study, 43 older and 42 younger adults read text from consumer product warnings and then rated the truth/falsity of statements containing information that was either explicitly stated or implied by the warnings. The results suggest both older and younger adults are able to recognize information that is explicitly associated with an actual product warning. However, they are less able to recognize information that can be inferred from warnings. These data also suggest that older adults perceive themselves to understand consumer warnings fairly well.

scholarly journals Age-Related Changes in the 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Versus Parathyroid Hormone Relationship Suggest a Different Reason Why Older Adults Require More Vitamin D

2003 ◽  
Vol 88 (1) ◽  
pp. 185-191 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reinhold Vieth ◽  
Yasmin Ladak ◽  
Paul G. Walfish
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Vitamin D ◽  
Secondary Hyperparathyroidism ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Hydroxyvitamin D ◽  
Age Related ◽  
25 Hydroxyvitamin D ◽  
The Relationship

Vitamin D requirements are thought to vary with age, but there is little comparative evidence for this. One goal in establishing a vitamin D requirement is to avoid secondary hyperparathyroidism. We studied 1741 euthyroid, thyroid clinic outpatients without evidence of calcium abnormalities, ranging in age from 19 to 97 yr, whose serum and urine had been analyzed for calcium, vitamin D, and parathyroid status. We found no effect of age on the 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentration associated with specific vitamin D intakes, and there was no relationship between 25(OH)D and 1,25hydroxyvitamin D [1,25(OH)2D]. In every age group, serum 1,25(OH)2D declined with increasing creatinine (P &lt; 0.001). What changed with age included creatinine, which correlated with 25(OH)D (r = 0.146, P &lt; 0.001) only in the youngest age group (19–50 yr) but not in the older age groups (P &gt; 0.1). Creatinine did not correlate with PTH in the youngest age group, but the relationship became significant as age increased (e.g. for the elderly, r = 0.365, P &lt; 0.001). Linear regression of log PTH vs. log 25(OH)D agreed with the natural shape of the relationship observed with scatterplot smoothing, and this showed no plateau in PTH as 25(OH)D increased. We compared PTH concentrations among age groups, based on 20 nmol/liter increments in 25(OH)D. Mean PTH in adults older than 70 yr was consistently higher than in adults younger than 50 yr (P &lt; 0.05 by ANOVA and Dunnett’s t test). PTH levels of the elderly who had 25(OH)D concentrations greater than 100 nmol/liter matched PTH of younger adults having 25(OH)D concentrations near 70 nmol/liter. This study shows that all age groups exhibit a high prevalence of 25(OH)D insufficiency and secondary hyperparathyroidism. Older adults are just as efficient in maintaining 25(OH)D, but they need more vitamin D to produce the higher 25(OH)D concentrations required to overcome the hyperparathyroidism associated with their diminishing renal function.

Age Affects Responses on the Speech, Spatial, and Qualities of Hearing Scale (SSQ) by Adults with Minimal Audiometric Loss

2012 ◽  
Vol 23 (02) ◽  
pp. 081-091 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Banh ◽  
Gurjit Singh ◽  
M. Kathleen Pichora-Fuller
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Cognitive Processing ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Younger Adults ◽  
Clinically Normal ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Listening In Noise ◽  
Psychology Course

Background: Age-related declines in auditory and cognitive processing may contribute to the difficulties with listening in noise that are often reported by older adults. Such difficulties are reported even by those who have relatively good audiograms that could be considered “normal” for their age (ISO 7029-2000 [ISO, 2000]). The Speech, Spatial, and Qualities of Hearing Scale (SSQ; Gatehouse and Noble, 2004) is a questionnaire developed to measure a listener's self-reported ability to hear in a variety of everyday situations, such as those that are challenging for older adults, and it can provide insights into the possible contributions of auditory and cognitive factors to their listening difficulties. The SSQ has been shown to be a sensitive and reliable questionnaire to detect benefits associated with the use of different hearing technologies and potentially other forms of intervention. Establishing how age-matched listeners with audiograms “normal” for their age rate the items on the SSQ could enable an extension of its use in audiological assessment and in setting rehabilitative goals. Purpose: The main purpose of this study was to investigate how younger and older adults who passed audiometric screening and who had thresholds considered to be “normal” for their age responded on the SSQ. It was also of interest to compare these results to those reported previously for older listeners with hearing loss in an attempt to tease out the relative effects of age and hearing loss. Study Sample: The SSQ was administered to 48 younger (mean age = 19 yr; SD = 1.0) and 48 older (mean age = 70 yr, SD = 4.1) adults with clinically normal audiometric thresholds below 4 kHz. The younger adults were recruited through an introductory psychology course, and the older adults were volunteers from the local community. Data Collection and Analysis: Both age groups completed the SSQ. The differences between the groups were analyzed. Correlations were used to compare the pattern of results across items for the two age groups in the present study and to assess the relationship between SSQ scores and objective measures of hearing. Comparisons were also made to published results for older adults with hearing loss. Results: The pattern of reported difficulty across items was similar for both age groups, but younger adults had significantly higher scores than older adults on 42 of the 46 items. On average, younger adults scored 8.8 (SD = 0.6) out of 10 and older adults scored 7.7 (SD = 1.2) out of 10. By comparison, scores of 5.5 (SD = 1.9) have been reported for older adults (mean age = 71 yr, SD = 8.1) with moderate hearing loss (Gatehouse and Noble, 2004). Conclusions: By establishing the best scores that could reasonably be expected from younger and older adults with “normal” hearing thresholds, these results provide clinicians with information that should assist them in setting realistic targets for interventions for adults of different ages.

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