Skip to main content
Top
Gepubliceerd in: Psychological Research 4/2019

23-01-2019 | Original Article

Inducing spontaneous future thoughts in younger and older adults by priming future-oriented personal goals

Auteurs: Magda Jordão, Maria Salomé Pinho, Peggy L. St. Jacques

Gepubliceerd in: Psychological Research | Uitgave 4/2019

Log in om toegang te krijgen
share
DELEN

Deel dit onderdeel of sectie (kopieer de link)

  • Optie A:
    Klik op de rechtermuisknop op de link en selecteer de optie “linkadres kopiëren”
  • Optie B:
    Deel de link per e-mail

Abstract

In the past 15 years, the study of spontaneous thoughts (i.e., thoughts coming to mind without intention and effort) has received increased attention. Spontaneous future thoughts (SFTs) are particularly important (e.g., in planning), yet difficult to study with regard to age differences. Two main problems arise: (1) lab tasks including word-cues induce more past than future thoughts; (2) younger adults report more spontaneous thoughts than older adults. To improve the elicitation of SFTs, we developed a future-oriented goal-related priming procedure and analyzed the extension of the goal-related priming effect in SFTs to older adults, to examine whether age-related changes in personal goals compromise the elicitation of SFTs. We also controlled for methodological factors that could influence age groups differently (including demand, retrospection, meta-awareness and instruction bias). Twenty-seven younger and 27 older adults performed a low-demand vigilance task including word-cues and were periodically stopped to describe their thoughts. The vigilance task was divided into two parts and, between them, participants performed a future-oriented goal-related priming task. An additional group of 27 younger participants performed the same procedure with a control task based on word counting. We found a significant increase in SFTs after priming in both age groups, but not in the control group, indicating that the priming manipulation was effective. This result suggests that age-related changes in personal goals do not disrupt the relation between personal goals and SFT frequency. The similar pattern of overall spontaneous thought in both age groups is also discussed considering methodological factors.
Bijlagen
Alleen toegankelijk voor geautoriseerde gebruikers
Voetnoten
1
An additional interaction between task and probe order F(1, 50) = 5.05, MSE = 0.21, p = 0.029, η p 2  = 0.09 was found. Although this probe order effect does not impact the present analysis, given the complete counterbalancing used in all groups, it suggests that fixed probe orders may significantly influence spontaneous thought elicitation, and should be avoided in future experiments.
 
2
Note that the absence of evidence of significant differences in the group that reported spontaneous thoughts before priming is not due to a ceiling effect, as the mean proportion for this group before (M = 0.45, SD= 0.24) and after priming (M = 0.43, SD= 0.29) is far from the maximum 1, with no signs of skewness before (0.93, SE = 0.38) or after (0.25, SE = 0.38) priming.
 
Literatuur
go back to reference Antrobus, J. S., Singer, J. L., & Greenberg, S. (1966). Studies in the stream of consciousness: Experimental enhancement and suppression of spontaneous cognitive processes. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 23, 399–417.CrossRef Antrobus, J. S., Singer, J. L., & Greenberg, S. (1966). Studies in the stream of consciousness: Experimental enhancement and suppression of spontaneous cognitive processes. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 23, 399–417.CrossRef
go back to reference Balota, D. A., Dolan, P. O., & Duchek, J. M. (2000). Memory changes in healthy young and older adults. In E. Tulving & F. I. M. Craik (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of memory (pp. 395–410). New York: Oxford University Press. Balota, D. A., Dolan, P. O., & Duchek, J. M. (2000). Memory changes in healthy young and older adults. In E. Tulving & F. I. M. Craik (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of memory (pp. 395–410). New York: Oxford University Press.
go back to reference Barreto, J., Leuschner, A., Santos, F., & Sobral, M. (2008). Escala de Depressão Geriátrica [Geriatric Depression Scale]. In Grupo de Estudos de Envelhecimento Cerebral e Demência (GEECD), Escalas e Testes na Demência (2nd edn., pp. 71–72). Lisboa: Novartis. Barreto, J., Leuschner, A., Santos, F., & Sobral, M. (2008). Escala de Depressão Geriátrica [Geriatric Depression Scale]. In Grupo de Estudos de Envelhecimento Cerebral e Demência (GEECD), Escalas e Testes na Demência (2nd edn., pp. 71–72). Lisboa: Novartis.
go back to reference Berntsen, D. (2009). Involuntary autobiographical memories: An introduction to the unbidden past. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.CrossRef Berntsen, D. (2009). Involuntary autobiographical memories: An introduction to the unbidden past. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.CrossRef
go back to reference Bradley, M. M., & Lang, P. J. (1999). Affective Norms for English Words (ANEW): Instruction manual and affective ratings: Technical Report C-1, The Center for Research in Psychophysiology, University of Florida. Bradley, M. M., & Lang, P. J. (1999). Affective Norms for English Words (ANEW): Instruction manual and affective ratings: Technical Report C-1, The Center for Research in Psychophysiology, University of Florida.
go back to reference Craik, F. (1986). A functional account of age differences in memory. In F. Klix & H. Hagendorf (Eds.), Human memory and cognitive capabilities: Mechanisms and performances (pp. 409–422). Amsterdam: Elsevier. Craik, F. (1986). A functional account of age differences in memory. In F. Klix & H. Hagendorf (Eds.), Human memory and cognitive capabilities: Mechanisms and performances (pp. 409–422). Amsterdam: Elsevier.
go back to reference D’Argembeau, A. (2016). The role of personal goals in future-oriented mental time travel. In K. Michaelian, S. B. Klein, & K. K. Szpunar (Eds.), Seeing the future: Theoretical perspective on future-oriented mental time travel (pp. 199–214). New York: Oxford University Press.CrossRef D’Argembeau, A. (2016). The role of personal goals in future-oriented mental time travel. In K. Michaelian, S. B. Klein, & K. K. Szpunar (Eds.), Seeing the future: Theoretical perspective on future-oriented mental time travel (pp. 199–214). New York: Oxford University Press.CrossRef
go back to reference Giambra, L. M. (2000b). The temporal setting, emotions, and imagery of daydreams: Age changes and age differences from late adolescent to the old-old. Imagination, Cognition and Personality, 19(4), 367–413.CrossRef Giambra, L. M. (2000b). The temporal setting, emotions, and imagery of daydreams: Age changes and age differences from late adolescent to the old-old. Imagination, Cognition and Personality, 19(4), 367–413.CrossRef
go back to reference Irish, M. (2016). Semantic memory as the essential scaffold for future-oriented mental time travel. In K. Michaelian, S. B. Klein, & K. K. Szpunar (Eds.), Seeing the future: Theoretical perspective on future-oriented mental time travel. New York: Oxford University Press. Irish, M. (2016). Semantic memory as the essential scaffold for future-oriented mental time travel. In K. Michaelian, S. B. Klein, & K. K. Szpunar (Eds.), Seeing the future: Theoretical perspective on future-oriented mental time travel. New York: Oxford University Press.
go back to reference Klinger, E. (1978). Modes of normal conscious flow. In K. S. Pope & J. L. Singer (Eds.), The stream of consciousness: Scientific investigations into the flow of human experience (pp. 225–258). New York: Plenum Press.CrossRef Klinger, E. (1978). Modes of normal conscious flow. In K. S. Pope & J. L. Singer (Eds.), The stream of consciousness: Scientific investigations into the flow of human experience (pp. 225–258). New York: Plenum Press.CrossRef
go back to reference Mace, J. H. (2010). Understanding autobiographical remembering from a spreading activation perspective. In J. H. Mace (Ed.), The act of remembering (pp. 181–201). Oxford, UK: Wiley-Blackwell.CrossRef Mace, J. H. (2010). Understanding autobiographical remembering from a spreading activation perspective. In J. H. Mace (Ed.), The act of remembering (pp. 181–201). Oxford, UK: Wiley-Blackwell.CrossRef
go back to reference Simões, M. R., Freitas, S., Santana, I., Firmino, H., Martins, C., Nasreddine, Z., & Vilar, M. (2008). Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA): Versão portuguesa [Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA): Portuguese version]. Serviço de Avaliação Psicológica da Faculdade de Psicologia e de Ciências da Educação da Universidade de Coimbra, Coimbra. Simões, M. R., Freitas, S., Santana, I., Firmino, H., Martins, C., Nasreddine, Z., & Vilar, M. (2008). Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA): Versão portuguesa [Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA): Portuguese version]. Serviço de Avaliação Psicológica da Faculdade de Psicologia e de Ciências da Educação da Universidade de Coimbra, Coimbra.
go back to reference Yesavage, J. A., Brink, T. L., Rose, T. L., Lum, O., Huang, V., Adey, M., & Leirer, V. O. (1983). Development and validation of a geriatric depression screening scale: A preliminary report. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 17(1), 37–49.CrossRef Yesavage, J. A., Brink, T. L., Rose, T. L., Lum, O., Huang, V., Adey, M., & Leirer, V. O. (1983). Development and validation of a geriatric depression screening scale: A preliminary report. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 17(1), 37–49.CrossRef
Metagegevens
Titel
Inducing spontaneous future thoughts in younger and older adults by priming future-oriented personal goals
Auteurs
Magda Jordão
Maria Salomé Pinho
Peggy L. St. Jacques
Publicatiedatum
23-01-2019
Uitgeverij
Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Gepubliceerd in
Psychological Research / Uitgave 4/2019
Print ISSN: 0340-0727
Elektronisch ISSN: 1430-2772
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00426-019-01146-w

Andere artikelen Uitgave 4/2019

Psychological Research 4/2019 Naar de uitgave