Sep 03, 2021
New publication on the reproducibility of socio-affective and socio-cognitive processes in old age
In light of the replication crisis in psychology, it is critical to investigate the reproducibility of findings provided by each approach. To that goal, Julia Stietz, Lena Pollerhoff, Marcel Kurtz, Shu-Chen Li, Andrea M. F. Reiter and Philipp Kanske used the same paradigm (the EmpaToM) as Andrea M. F. Reiter and colleagues (2017) who reported about socio-affective and socio-cognitive processes in their article The Aging of the Social Mind - Differential Effects on Components of Social Understanding. The previously reported results could be replicated in an independent sample of similar age: older adults' socio-affective processes (empathy and compassion) are maintained or even improve, while their socio-cognitive processes (Theory of Mind) decline. The findings contribute to the understanding of how social affect and cognition evolve over the adult lifespan, and provide an entry point for interventions aimed at fostering successful social interactions and well-being until advanced old age. The open-access article The ageing of the social mind: replicating the preservation of socio-affective and the decline of socio-cognitive processes in old age was published in Royal Society Open Science.