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342021Volume 34, Issue6November/December 2021
Mobility and Opportunity Across the Lifespan
Researchers explore the science of what changes, and what stays the same, as we age. Topics include the lifelong impact of childhood experiences, mitochondria's powerful role in healthy aging, and the need for a new "map of life" as life expectancies increase.

About the Observer

The Observer is the online magazine of the Association for Psychological Science and covers matters affecting the research, academic, and applied disciplines of psychology. The magazine reports on issues of interest to psychologist scientists worldwide and disseminates information about the activities, policies, and scientific values of APS.

APS members receive a monthly Observer newsletter that covers the latest content in the magazine. Members also may access the online archive of Observer articles going back to 1988.

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    Aging Impairs Inhibitory Control Over Incidental Cues: A Construal-Level Perspective Liat Hadar, Yaacov Trope, and Boaz M. Ben-David Psychological Science Older adults’ purchasing decisions appear to be more influenced by peripheral product features than by central and goal-relevant features, this research indicates. Compared with older adults, younger adults were more willing to pay more for a product with superior central, desirable attributes (e.g., a coffee maker able to brew a variety of coffee types) than a product with superior peripheral, feasible attributes (e.g., a coffee maker that is easy to use and reliable). Younger adults were also more satisfied after completing a high-desirability/low-feasibility task than a low-desirability/high-feasibility task and after experiencing a goal-relevant product than a goal-irrelevant product.

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