Data from: Does older adults' cognitive function disrupt the malleability of their attitudes toward outgroup members?: an fMRI investigation

In the current study we examine how individual differences in older adults’ global cognitive function impacts the extent to which their attitudes toward stigmatized individuals are malleable. Because prior research has elucidated the neural processes that are involved in evaluating stigmatized individuals who are responsible or not responsible for their condition, a cognitive neuroscience approach may be well-suited to answer this question. In the current study, 36 older and 17 young adults underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging while evaluating images of homeless people who were described as being responsible or not responsible for their condition. They also indicated how much pity they felt for each of the individuals in order to determine the extent to which their attitudes were malleable (e.g., more pity for not-responsible as compared to responsible individuals). Participants’ cognitive function and baseline measure of their attitudes toward stigmatized individuals (including homeless individuals) were assessed. Results revealed that although older adults’ attitudes were malleable, the extent to which this was true varied due to individual differences in their global cognitive function. Specifically, the difference in the magnitude of older adults’ self-reported pity for not-responsible as compared to responsible homeless individuals was predicted by their global cognitive function. Moreover, the difference in pity that older adults expressed toward not-responsible as compared to responsible homeless individuals was related to activity in the left insula and the anterior cingulate cortex (regions implicated in empathy). These results suggest that attitude malleability is affected by individual differences in global cognitive function.

本研究旨在探究老年群体整体认知功能的个体差异，对其针对污名化个体的态度可塑程度的影响机制。既往研究已阐明，在评估对自身状况负有责任或无责任的污名化个体时所涉及的神经过程，因此认知神经科学方法或极为适合解答该研究问题。本研究共招募36名老年受试者与17名青年受试者，在其观看被描述为对自身无家可归状况负有责任或无责任的无家可归者图像并进行评估时，采集功能磁共振成像（functional magnetic resonance imaging）数据。同时，受试者需报告对每位个体的怜悯程度，以此量化其态度的可塑程度（例如，相较于对负有责任的无家可归者，受试者对无责任个体的怜悯程度更高）。研究人员还对受试者的整体认知功能，以及其对污名化个体（含无家可归者）的基线态度进行了测评。研究结果显示，尽管老年群体的态度具备可塑空间，但该可塑程度因个体整体认知功能的差异而存在显著差异。具体而言，老年受试者对无责任与负有责任的无家可归者的自我报告怜悯程度差异，可通过其整体认知功能进行预测。此外，老年受试者对两类无家可归者的怜悯程度差异，与左脑岛及前扣带回皮层（均为与共情功能相关的脑区）的激活水平相关。上述结果表明，态度的可塑程度受个体整体认知功能的差异影响。