| In general,aging is an unavoidable reality.However,individual empathy aging is obviously not a simple and comprehensive decline in the process,the previous empirical studies and theories have divergent differences on the development mechanism of empathy aging.Socioemotional Selectivity Theory argued that affective empathy did not significantly decline or even slightly increased;Selective Optimization with Compensation model and Selective Engagement Hypothesis argued that if the task is self-relevant,the cognitive performance of the elderly will be better.Dynamic Integration Theory argued that cognitive-affective complexity decreases with age,cognitive empathy will decline.Based on the previous studies,we combined with different aging theory,taking into account the motivation factors,using multidimensional tests to more accurately measure the level of empathy of the elderly,and used images-based and video-based paradigm respectively,trying to construct a empathy aging model.The present study includes two parts:Study 1 applies picture-based paradigm and use between-subjects experimental design,selecting 61 college students(M=21.33,SD=2.57,29 men,32 women)and 60 older adults(M=72.88,SD=7.11,30 men,30 women).The subjects completed multifaceted empathy test,we manipulate instructions to start the participants' social motivation to explore the impact of social motivation on the age effect of empathy.The results showed that the interaction effect between age group and motivation level was significant,F(1,119)= 37.83,p<0.001,?_p~2=0.24.There were significant age differences in cognitive empathy under low social motivation condition,F(1,119)=17.05,p<0.001,?_p~2=0.13,younger adults(M=0.66,SD=0.05)performed better than older adults(M= 0.59,SD=0.09),there were significant age differences in cognitive empathy under high social motivation condition,F(1,119)=20.90,p<0.001,?%2=0.15,older adults(M=0.66,SD=0.05)performed better than younger adults(M=0.59,SD=0.09).With regard to affective empathy,the interaction effect between age group and motivation level was not significant,F(1,119)= 1.08,p=0.30.Study 2 applies a mixed design and use video-based paradigm,selecting 30 college students(M=20.80,SD=2.06,14 men,16 women)26 older adults(M=73.19,SD=5.13,11 men,15women).Using a dynamic and contextualized video stimulus material,we explore the impact of task self-relevance on the age difference of empathy by manipulating the different age-relevant tasks to vary the elderly with different motivations.The results showed that the interaction effect between age group and film topics was significant,F(1,54)=66.36,p<0.O001,p2=0.55.The main effect of the age group was significant for young-relevant topics,F(1,54)=61.98,p<0.001,?_p~2=0.53.younger adults(M=0.50,SD=0.09)performed better than older adults(M=-0.14,SD=0.11).However,the main effect of the age group was not significant for old-relevant topics,F(1,54)=3.73,p>0.05,?_p~2=0.07.With regard to emotional congruence,the interaction effect between age group and film topics was not significant,F(1,54)=0.70,p>0.05,?_p~2 =0.01.In addition,cognitive function can also predict empathic accuracy,(processing speed,?=-0.40,p<0.01,working memory,P=-0.43,p<0.01,and verbal fluency,P=-0.32,p<0.05).cognitive function significantly predicted empathic accuracy for young-relevant topics(processing speed,p=0.68,p<0.01,working memory,?=0.65,p<0.01,and verbal fluency,p=0.50,p<0.01),but not for old-relevant topics,all ps>0.05.We drew several conclusions as follows:(1)The influence of age on cognitive empathy and affective empathy is different.With age,cognitive empathy is more likely to show age-related decline,while affective empathy shows increased.(2)Motivational factors moderate the impact of age on empathy.In particular,the age difference of cognitive empathy is significant only if in low social motivation or young-relevant topics.If the task is highly relevant with the older adults,the age-related deficits in the cognitive empathy will be reduced or eliminate.Moreover,whatever the motive conditions,older adults reported higher levels of affective empathy than younger adults.(3)The age differences in cognitive abilities are related to cognitive empathy,but not affective empathy.If the tasks have nothing to do with the older adults,then the impact of cognitive function on cognitive empathy is particularly evident.The results of the above studies not only have high theoretical value,but also has very important practical significance.The results show that the executive function(meta-cognition)of the elderly declines but the emotional function remains intact(affective empathy is higher),fully supporting the socioemotional selectivity theory;partially supported selective optimization with compensation model and selective engagement hypothesis,that is,high motivation promotes cognitive empathy;also partially supported the dynamic integration theory,under the condition of low motivation,cognitive empathy is declining.According to De Waal's Russian doll model of empathy,we put forward the empathy aging doll model,From the inside to outer layers are respectively emotional contagion,affective empathy,cognitive empathy and meta-cognition.We speculate that the aging process of empathy is gradually from the outermost to inner layer,the results provide important clues to empathy training and intervention. |
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