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Older people's instincts for guessing when someone is potentially aggressive are exactly as good as young adults' are, new research has shown.
In their paper Staying streetwise accurate judgments of approaching aggression in older age, a team from the University of Portsmouth studied our abilities at various ages to gauge the aggression of others.
Dr Liam Satchell, who led the study, said: 'When walking down a street late at night, people may feel concerned about the threat posed by an approaching person. They may cross a street or change their behaviour and might even stop going out.
'There could be lots of factors which might make an older person frightened of being a victim of crime, but research on the relationship between age and fear of crime isn't clear-cut. It's likely to be influenced by many factors, including the type of crime feared, gender and a person's belief in their ability to defend themselves.
'Until now, there has been little conclusive evidence of older people's ability to detect everyday street threats.'
Read more here. (Unipaper)
In their paper Staying streetwise accurate judgments of approaching aggression in older age, a team from the University of Portsmouth studied our abilities at various ages to gauge the aggression of others.
Dr Liam Satchell, who led the study, said: 'When walking down a street late at night, people may feel concerned about the threat posed by an approaching person. They may cross a street or change their behaviour and might even stop going out.
'There could be lots of factors which might make an older person frightened of being a victim of crime, but research on the relationship between age and fear of crime isn't clear-cut. It's likely to be influenced by many factors, including the type of crime feared, gender and a person's belief in their ability to defend themselves.
'Until now, there has been little conclusive evidence of older people's ability to detect everyday street threats.'
Read more here. (Unipaper)
