title: Joint Attention is Slowed in Older Adults.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The automatic propensity to orient to the location where other people are looking is the main way of establishing joint attention with others. Whereas joint attention has been mostly investigated with young adults, the present study examines age-related differences in the magnitude and time course of joint attention.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-three community-dwelling seniors and 43 younger adults performed a visuospatial task. The procedures closely follow those of gaze-cueing tasks commonly used to investigate joint attention.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The findings revealed that a gaze-cueing effect occurs for both younger and older adults, with an equivalent average magnitude but with different time courses. The effect peaks later in older adults.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Age-related differences in joint attention could be linked to a more general cognitive slowing rather than to poorer basic social skills. The present study adds to the growing interest in gerontological research regarding social attention.
authors.affiliation: a CIAMS, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay , Orsay Cedex , France.|b CIAMS, Université d'Orléans , Orléans , France.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Deroche
authors.affiliation: a CIAMS, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay , Orsay Cedex , France.|b CIAMS, Université d'Orléans , Orléans , France.
authors.forename: Carole
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Castanier
authors.affiliation: a CIAMS, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay , Orsay Cedex , France.|b CIAMS, Université d'Orléans , Orléans , France.
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Perrot
authors.affiliation: c Department of Psychology , Scripps College , Claremont , California , USA.
authors.forename: Alan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hartley
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003463:Cues; D005133:Eye Movements; D006801:Humans; D009633:Nonverbal Communication; D011930:Reaction Time; D066107:Social Skills; D065855:Spatial Processing / Q000502:physiology*; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D013997:Time Factors