About this event
LearningAge group boundaries are inherently subjective, yet little is known about how people determine who belongs within their age-based in-group. Rather than treating age groups as fixed categories (e.g., “younger” v. “older” adults), we propose that age identity reflects self-referential judgments based on perceived proximity. In a preregistered online study, participants made binary in-group judgments for targets spanning the adult lifespan. Inclusion declined systematically with increasing age distance and revealed asymmetric age boundaries, with stronger age stereotype endorsement amplifying this asymmetry. Together, these findings recast age identity as a dynamic, self-referential process rather than a fixed categorical distinction.
Amy Gourley is a Social Psychology Doctoral Student in the Intergroup Relations Lab
University of Toronto – St. George
Join the Institute for Life Course and Aging in person on Nov 12.