JOURNAL ARTICLE

Getting Over Past Mistakes: Prospective and Retrospective Regret in Older Adults.

  • Published In: Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences & Social Sciences, 2023, v. 78, n. 3. P. 469 1 of 3

  • Database: Academic Search Ultimate 2 of 3

  • Authored By: Huang, Yi; Pat, Narun; Kok, Bing Cai; Chai, Jingwen; Feng, Lei; Yu, Rongjun 3 of 3

Abstract

The article focuses on how older adults experience and use regret in decision making for themselves and others. Using a counterfactual gambling task with 60 older and 60 younger Chinese Singaporean participants, the study found that older adults exhibit reduced retrospective regret—emotional responses after learning the outcomes of unchosen options—compared to younger adults. However, older adults retain a comparable ability to anticipate and avoid prospective regret—anticipation of regret during decision making—regardless of whether decisions affect themselves or others. The findings suggest that while older adults show blunted emotional reactions to regret-inducing outcomes, their capacity to use regret prospectively to guide choices remains intact, with implications for understanding decision making among older individuals in influential roles.

Additional Information

  • Source:Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences & Social Sciences. 2023/03, Vol. 78, Issue 3, p469
  • Document Type:Article
  • Subject Area:Psychology
  • Publication Date:2023
  • ISSN:1079-5014
  • DOI:10.1093/geronb/gbac159
  • Accession Number:162239170
  • Copyright Statement:Copyright of Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences & Social Sciences is the property of Oxford University Press / USA and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Looking to go deeper into this topic? Look for more articles on EBSCOhost.