Social and Psychological Mechanisms of the Relation between Age and Openness to Attitude change

传统观点认为，随着人们年龄的增长，他们的观点会变得更加僵化，更不愿意改变。大量的初步研究似乎证实了这一观点。但最近的研究表明，年龄和对变化的开放程度之间的关系实际上是一条曲线：对态度变化的敏感性在青年时期很高，在成年中期急剧下降，但在65岁左右开始再次上升。利用心理学、社会学和政治学的文献，目前的研究试图通过确定这种关系的一些机制来理解为什么年龄与态度变化的易感性有关。本研究将探索一套关于态度改变易感性决定因素的新假设。具体而言，本研究将探讨年龄可能导致态度变化开放性波动的五种潜在机制。首先，研究社会网络结构和构成对人们变化开放性的影响。其次，它将研究多重角色转换对变革开放性的影响。第三，探讨认知功能对态度改变过程的影响。第四，它将检验关于抵制态度变化的自我效能感可能随年龄而变化，并可能调节对变化的易感性。最后，本研究将探讨人们在说服情境中追求的社会目标与年龄相关的变化，并将追踪这些目标对说服过程的影响。一项针对大量具有代表性的成年人样本的小组调查将测量参与者对一系列广泛对象的态度，将其中一些态度暴露于说服性挑战中，并衡量态度的变化。对这五个因素的测量将允许测试每个因素是否调节态度变化的开放性，以及一个或多个因素是否有助于年龄与态度变化的开放性之间的关系。通过探索年龄与态度开放性之间的关系机制，本研究有望揭示与年龄相关的思维、评价和行动变化，从而丰富我们对老龄化社会心理学的理解。这一点尤其重要，因为美国人口正在迅速老龄化，最年长的美国人在美国人口中所占的比例越来越大。更好地了解老龄化心理将有助于社会规划者和支持机构帮助老年人应对适应和有效生存的挑战。

Conventional wisdom holds that as people age, they become more rigid in their views and less open to change. A great deal of initial research seemed to confirm this notion. But more recent research has demonstrated that the relation between age and openness to change is actually curvilinear: susceptibility to attitude change is high during young adulthood, drops sharply through the middle adult years, but rises again starting at about age 65. Drawing on literatures in psychology, sociology, and political science, the current research seeks to understand why age is related to susceptibility to attitude change by identifying some of the mechanisms of this relation. This research will explore a novel set of hypotheses about the determinants of attitude change susceptibility more generally. Specifically, the current research will explore five potential mechanisms by which aging may lead to fluctuation in openness to attitude change. First, it will examine the impact of social network structure and composition on people's openness to change. Second, it will examine the impact of multiple role transitions on openness to change. Third, it will explore the implications of cognitive functioning for attitude change processes. Fourth, it will examine the notion that self-efficacy regarding resistance to attitude change may vary with age and may regulate susceptibility to change. Finally, this research will explore age-related changes the social goals that people pursue in the persuasion context and will trace the implications of these goals for persuasion processes. A panel survey of a large, representative sample of adults will measure participants' attitudes toward a broad array of objects, expose some of those attitudes to persuasive challenges, and gauge attitude change. Measures of the five factors will permit tests of whether each regulates openness to attitude change and whether one or more contribute to the relation between age and openness to change.By exploring the mechanisms responsible for the relation between age and openness to attitude change, this research promises to shed new light on age-related changes in thinking, evaluating, and action, thereby enriching our understanding of the social psychology of aging. This is especially important given that the American population is aging rapidly, and the oldest Americans are composing an increasingly large portion of the nation. A better understanding of the psychology of aging will aid social planners and support agencies in helping the elderly meet the challenges of adaptation and effective survival.