Collaborative Everyday Problem Solving among Same-gender Friends in Early and Later Adulthood

摘要

To investigate potential age-related differences in performance gains (compensation, optimization) and losses (failure to actualize potential) of collaboration with a familiar partner, we compared pairs of older (N= 75; 69% women) and younger (N = 75; 52% women) age homogeneous same-gender friends who interacted or worked alone to generate strategies for solving interpersonal and instrumental problems. Two indexes of strategy fluency (total and unique number of strategies) and two indexes of strategy type (content of strategy repertoires, strategy selected as most effective by older and younger adults) were examined. Strategies generated by interacting pairs were compared to nominal pair scores. Nominal pair scores indexed dyadic potential and were created by pooling the performance of two individuals who worked alone. Age differences in strategy fluency and type were largely similar to prior research based on individual problem solvers. Interacting pairs produced fewer strategies than nominal pairs but there were no differences in strategy type. For interpersonal problems, older adults were relatively more likely to actualize their dyadic potential.