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. 2023 Jan 28;78(1):62-72.
doi: 10.1093/geronb/gbac110.

Aging Is Associated With Multidirectional Changes in Social Cognition: Findings From an Adult Life-Span Sample Ranging From 18 to 101 Years

Sarah A Grainger  1 , John D Crawford  2 , Julia C Riches  3 , Nicole A Kochan  2 , Russell J Chander  2 , Karen A Mather  2   4 , Perminder S Sachdev  2   5 , Julie D Henry  1
Affiliations

Aging Is Associated With Multidirectional Changes in Social Cognition: Findings From an Adult Life-Span Sample Ranging From 18 to 101 Years

Sarah A Grainger et al. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. .

Abstract

Objectives: Normal adult aging is associated with changes in social cognition. Although 4 social cognitive domains have been identified (social perception, theory of mind [ToM], affective empathy, and social behavior), no study has tested all 4 domains concurrently in a life-span sample, limiting understanding of the relative magnitude of age-related changes across domains. This study addresses this gap by providing the first assessment of all 4 social cognitive domains in an adult life-span sample.

Methods: Three hundred and seventy-two participants ranging from 18 to 101 years of age took part in this study. Participants completed a testing battery that assessed social perception, ToM, affective empathy, and social behavior, as well as broader cognitive function and well-being.

Results: The results showed that adult aging is associated with multidirectional changes in social cognitive abilities, with ToM and social perception showing nonlinear decline across much of the life-span, and affective empathy and social behavior showing improvement. Age remained a significant predictor of all 4 social cognitive domains, even after accounting for broader cognitive function. Weak associations emerged between some of the social cognitive abilities and and indices of broader well-being.

Discussion: These findings provide novel and important evidence that normative aging is associated with both gains and losses in social cognition that occur at distinct points of the adult life-span, and that are at least partially independent of general age-related cognitive decline.

Keywords: Affective empathy; Life-span aging; Social behavior; Social perception; Theory of mind.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
The association between age and (A) social perception, (B) theory of mind, (C) affective empathy, (D) social behavior.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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