Research

1. Theory of Mind

Theory of Mind (ToM) refers to our abilities to understand others' mental states (e.g., perspectives, beliefs, intentions, feelings, and so on). How does ToM change with age? Previous findings have suggested that ToM declines with age, but some recent findings (including Cho & Cohen, 2019) illustrated no evidence of such age-related declines. We are examining what factors can explain such a discrepancy and whether ToM genuinely deteriorates with age.

2. Social decision-making

How do social behaviors (e.g., decision-making in social contexts, prosocial behaviors, moral judgments) change with age? Social behaviors are related to how we cognitively and emotionally process information in social contexts, and cognitive and emotional processes are largely impacted by aging. We are investigating how cognitive and emotional factors are associated with the age-related differences in social behaviors.

3. Individual differences in aging

Older adults are heterogeneous, so examining individual difference factors (e.g., culture, executive functioning) is essential to our better understanding of aging.  We are exploring individual differences in social cognition and behaviors in older adults.