@article{hess_leclerc_swaim_weatherbee_2009, title={Aging and Everyday Judgments: The Impact of Motivational and Processing Resource Factors}, volume={24}, ISSN={["0882-7974"]}, DOI={10.1037/a0016340}, abstractNote={It has been hypothesized that reductions in cognitive resources might result in older adults engaging in less systematic processing than young adults when making everyday judgments. In 2 experiments, the authors tested individuals aged from 24 to 89 years to examine the degree to which task-related information associated with more superficial versus complex processing differentially influenced performance. They also examined the hypothesis that motivational factors would moderate age differences in processing complexity. In both studies, there were no age differences in the use of simple versus complex processing. Increasing age was, however, associated with increasing selectivity in cognitive resource engagement.}, number={3}, journal={PSYCHOLOGY AND AGING}, author={Hess, Thomas M. and Leclerc, Christina M. and Swaim, Elizabeth and Weatherbee, Sarah R.}, year={2009}, month={Sep}, pages={735–740} }
 @article{leclerc_hess_2007, title={Age differences in the bases for social judgments: Tests of a social expertise perspective}, volume={33}, ISSN={["0361-073X"]}, DOI={10.1080/03610730601006446}, abstractNote={Research indicates that increasing age is associated with greater use of trait-diagnostic behavioral information in making social judgments. These effects may reflect an aging-related increase in social expertise, indicative of more powerful and accessible knowledge structures. The current work is an attempt to provide further evidence in support of the social expertise view and a test of an alternative hypothesis. Results of this work indicate that age differences in the use of trait-diagnostic information were moderated by factors thought to affect the accessibility of relevant knowledge structures.}, number={1}, journal={EXPERIMENTAL AGING RESEARCH}, author={Leclerc, Christina M. and Hess, Thomas M.}, year={2007}, pages={95–120} }
 @article{hess_osowski_leclerc_2005, title={Age and experience influences on the complexity of social inferences}, volume={20}, ISSN={["0882-7974"]}, DOI={10.1037/0882-7974.20.3.447}, abstractNote={Age differences in social-cognitive functioning were assessed by examining sensitivity to the trait implications of behavioral cues when making social inferences. Adults (age range = 23-86 years) read target descriptions containing positive and negative behaviors relating to either morality or competence. Consistent with past research, middle-aged and older adults were more likely than younger adults to make inferences consistent with the trait-diagnostic implications of the behaviors. Age was also associated with increased sensitivity to additional cues that moderated the diagnostic value of behaviors based on simple descriptive content. The authors argue that these age differences reflect a type of expertise based in accumulated social experience, a conclusion bolstered by an additional finding that social activity moderated age differences in social judgments.}, number={3}, journal={PSYCHOLOGY AND AGING}, author={Hess, TM and Osowski, NL and Leclerc, CM}, year={2005}, month={Sep}, pages={447–459} }
 @article{hess_germain_rosenberg_leclerc_hodges_2005, title={Aging-related selectivity and susceptibility to irrelevant affective information}, volume={12}, ISSN={["1744-4128"]}, DOI={10.1080/13825580590925170}, abstractNote={Abstract Two experiments were conducted to examine the hypothesis that aging is associated with an increase in the selectivity associated with task engagement and related cognitive resource allocation. Adults ranging in age from 20 to 83 years were asked to provide attitude ratings about fictitious political program proposals that varied in terms of personal relevance. Of primary interest was the extent to which these attitude ratings would be influenced by the likability of the individual (i.e., source) responsible for the programs. Consistent with expectations, older adults were more likely than younger adults to provide attitude ratings consistent with the likableness of the source, with this effect being moderated by need for structure and personal relevance. The findings are supportive of the general argument that older adults are able to monitor and control the impact of irrelevant information on performance, but are most likely to engage in such operations in situations of high meaningfulness. Younger adults exhibit similar effects, but the variability across levels of meaningfulness increases with age, a pattern consistent with an aging-related increase in selectivity.}, number={2}, journal={AGING NEUROPSYCHOLOGY AND COGNITION}, author={Hess, TM and Germain, CM and Rosenberg, DC and Leclerc, CM and Hodges, EA}, year={2005}, month={Jun}, pages={149–174} }