Age differences in prosociality across the adult lifespan: A meta-analysis

IF 7.5 1区医学 Q1 BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES

Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews Pub Date : 2024-08-05 DOI:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105843

Lena Pollerhoff , David F. Reindel , Philipp Kanske , Shu-Chen Li , Andrea M.F. Reiter

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Lifespan developmental theories and research suggest a positive effect of adult age on prosociality. However, this effect lacks consistency, with many studies excluding the period of midlife. This study summarized cross-sectional studies on adult age and prosociality, combining 120 (independent) samples (n = 103,829) in a lifespan meta-analysis approach. Linear and quadratic age effects on prosociality were analyzed, as well as comparisons between younger, middle-aged, and older adults. Prosociality was assessed via behavioral measures and self-reports. In both these domains, results indicated small linear age effects and higher prosociality in older compared to younger adults, supporting the hypothesis of increased prosociality in older age. Additionally, leveraging open data sets (64/120 independent samples), predominantly unpublished, we found some evidence for potential quadratic age effects on behavioral prosociality: Middle-aged adults exhibited higher behavioral and self-reported prosociality than younger adults, but no differences between middle-aged and older adults were observed. This meta-analysis offers new perspectives on age trajectories of prosociality, suggesting midlife as a potentially important phase of pronounced prosociality.

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成年人一生中亲社会性的年龄差异：元分析

终身发展理论和研究表明，成人年龄对亲社会性有积极影响。然而，这种影响缺乏一致性，许多研究将中年时期排除在外。本研究总结了有关成人年龄与亲社会性的横断面研究，通过生命周期荟萃分析法合并了 120 个（独立）样本（n = 103 829）。分析了年龄对亲社会性的线性和二次影响，以及年轻人、中年人和老年人之间的比较。亲社会性通过行为测量和自我报告进行评估。结果表明，在这两个领域中，老年人的线性年龄效应较小，亲社会性高于年轻人，支持了老年人亲社会性增强的假设。此外，利用开放数据集（64/120 个独立样本）（主要是未发表的样本），我们还发现了一些证据，证明年龄对行为亲社会性有潜在的二次影响：与年轻人相比，中年人表现出更高的行为亲社会性和自我报告亲社会性，但中年人和老年人之间没有发现差异。这项荟萃分析为亲社会性的年龄轨迹提供了新的视角，表明中年是亲社会性明显的潜在重要阶段。

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来源期刊

Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews 医学-行为科学

CiteScore

14.20

自引率

3.70%

发文量

466

审稿时长

6 months

期刊介绍： The official journal of the International Behavioral Neuroscience Society publishes original and significant review articles that explore the intersection between neuroscience and the study of psychological processes and behavior. The journal also welcomes articles that primarily focus on psychological processes and behavior, as long as they have relevance to one or more areas of neuroscience.