Perception of the old-age threshold and the demographic context: an empirical verification using the European Social Survey data
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
The theory of cognitive psychology states that perception depends on the context. For example, the way of perceiving brightness depends on the surrounding: objects may appear darker or brighter when exposed to a white or black background. This article verifies whether the demographic surrounding affects the perception of the old-age threshold. We hypothesize that among people of a certain age, the onset of the old-age is perceived as higher in older populations (with a high number of older adults) and as lower in younger populations (with only a few elderly individuals). The research process involves two approaches: (1) across countries and (2) over time. To evaluate the relationship between demographic and psychological variables measures of correlation are used to analyze data from the European Social Survey (rounds 3 and 9). The results show that the differences in the perception of the old-age
threshold are not associated with a demographic context.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
References
Adelson, E. H. (1993). Perceptual organization and the judgment of brightness. Science, 262 (5142). DOI:10.1126/science.8266102.
Ayalon, L. et al. (2014). Macro- and micro-level predictors of age categorization: results from the European Social Survey. European Journal of Ageing, 11 (1), pp. 5–18. DOI:10.1007/s10433-013-0282-8.
Barrett, A. E. & Von Rohr, C. (2008). Gendered perceptions of aging: An examination of college students. International Journal of Aging and Human Development, 67 (4), pp. 359–386. DOI:10.2190/AG.67.4.d.
Błędowski, P. (2020). Czas jest względny. Wybrane aspekty starości z perspektywy przebiegu życia. In: P. B. Sztabiński, D. Przybysz, & F. Sztabiński (Eds.), Polska-Europa. Wyniki Europejskiego Sondażu Społecznego 2002–2018/19 (pp. 67–78). Warszawa: Wydawnictwo IFiS PAN.
Cameron, P. (1969). Age parameters of young adult, middle-aged, old, and aged. Journal of Gerontology, 24 (2). DOI:10.1093/geronj/24.2.201.
Chopik, W. J. et al. (2018). Age differences in age perceptions and developmental transitions. Frontiers in Psychology, 9 (FEB), pp. 1–10. DOI:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00067.
Długosz, Z. (2011). Population ageing in Europe. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, pp. 47–55, DOI:10.1016/j.sbspro.2011.05.106.
Drevenstedt, J. (1976). Perceptions of onsets of young adulthood, middle age, and old age. Journals of Gerontology, 31 (1), pp. 53–57. DOI:10.1093/geronj/31.1.53.
Frackowiak, T. et al. (2020). Difference in perception of onset of old age in traditional (Hadza) and modern (Polish) societies. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17 (19). DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17197079.
Hox, J. J. (2010). Multilevel analysis: Techniques and applications. Second, Multilevel Analysis: Techniques and Applications. New York and Hove: Routledge. DOI: 10.4324/9780203852279.
Jurek, Ł. (2021). Macro-Level Predictors of Old-Age Threshold Perception: A Comparative Study Using ESS, Ipsos, and Eurobarometer Data. European Research Studies Journal, XXIV (4B), pp. 723–739.
Jurek, Ł. (2022). Chronological Age and Subjective Perception of the Old-Age Threshold: An Empirical Verification of the Age-Group Dissociation Effect Using European Social Survey Data. Advances in Gerontology, 12 (1), pp. 14–24.
Kotter-Gruhn, D., Kornadt, A. E., & Stephan, Y. (2015). Looking beyond Chronological Age: Current Knowledge and Future Directions in the Study of Subjective Age. Gerontology, 62 (1), pp. 86–93. DOI: 10.1159/000438671.
Kuper, H. & Marmot, M. (2003). Intimations of mortality: Perceived age of leaving middle age as a predictor of future health outcomes within the Whitehall II study. Age and Ageing, 32 (2), pp. 178–184. DOI: 10.1093/ageing/32.2.178.
Lloyd, K. & Leslie, D. S. (2013). Context-dependent decision-making: A simple Bayesian model. Journal of the Royal Society Interface, 10 (82). DOI:10.1098/rsif.2013.0069.
Lutz, W., Sanderson, W., & Scherbov, S. (2008). The coming acceleration of global population ageing. Nature, 451 (7179), pp. 716–719. DOI: 10.1038/nature06516.
Meyers-Levy, J., Zhu, R., & Jiang, L. (2010). Context effects from bodily sensations: Examining bodily sensations induced by flooring and the moderating role of product viewing distance. Journal of Consumer Research, 37 (1). DOI: 10.1086/649028.
Nikolić, D. (2010). The brain is a context machine. Review of Psychology, 17 (1).
Peters, G. R. (1971). Self-conceptions of the aged, age identification, and aging. Gerontologist, 11 (4). DOI: 10.1093/geront/11.4_Part_2.69.
Shiovitz-Ezra, S. & Ayalon, L. (2010). Situational versus chronic loneliness as risk factors for all-cause mortality. International Psychogeriatrics, 22 (3), pp. 455–462. DOI: 10.1017/S1041610209991426.
Todorović, D. (2010). Context effects in visual perception and their explanations. Review of Psychology, 17 (1), pp. 17–32, http://hrcak.srce.hr/70655?lang=en.
Weiss, D. & Kornadt, A. E. (2018). Age-Stereotype Internalization and Dissociation: Contradictory Processes or Two Sides of the Same Coin? Current Directions in Psychological Science, 27 (6), pp. 477–483. DOI: 10.1177/0963721418777743.
Weiss, D. & Lang, F. R. (2012). “They” are old but “I” feel younger: Age-group dissociation as a self-protective strategy in old age. Psychology and Aging, 27 (1), pp. 153–163. DOI: 10.1037/a0024887.
Westerhof, G. J. & Wurm, S. (2015). Longitudinal research on subjective aging, health, and longevity: Current evidence and new directions for research. Annual Review of Gerontology and Geriatrics, pp. 145–165, DOI:10.1891/0198-8794.35.145.