The underestimated role of temporal comparison: a test of the life-span model.

The assumption of the life-span model (Suls & Mullen 1982)--that age affects the way people make comparisons--was tested. Three groups of participants in England--young adults (18-39 years old; n = 83), middle-aged adults (40-64 years old; n = 52), and older adults (65-87 years old; n = 50) completed a questionnaire that assessed preference for temporal comparison or social comparison. Although the present results support the general assumption of the life-span model, they suggest that preferences for comparison processes develop in accordance with another pattern. Consistent with the life-span model, the present results indicate that temporary comparison is more important for young and middle-aged adults than researchers have assumed.