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Extending ecological affordance theory to late adulthood

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 June 2026

Tianxing Zhang Open the ORCID record for Tianxing Zhang [Opens in a new window] ,
Arian Rajaeian Open the ORCID record for Arian Rajaeian [Opens in a new window]  and
Michael E.W. Varnum Open the ORCID record for Michael E.W. Varnum [Opens in a new window]
Tianxing Zhang
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA tzhan238@asu.edu arajaeia@asu.edu mvarnum@asu.edu https://psychology.asu.edu/research/labs/culture-ecology-lab
Arian Rajaeian
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA tzhan238@asu.edu arajaeia@asu.edu mvarnum@asu.edu https://psychology.asu.edu/research/labs/culture-ecology-lab
Michael E.W. Varnum*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA tzhan238@asu.edu arajaeia@asu.edu mvarnum@asu.edu https://psychology.asu.edu/research/labs/culture-ecology-lab
*
*Corresponding author.
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Abstract

Ko and Neuberg’s proposed framework – that ecological affordances depend on life-stage and sex-specific goals of the individual – has implications for life stages beyond those discussed in the target article. We extend this framework to older adults, illustrating how this life stage may display different patterns of between-sex variation in the ecological affordances posed by physical violence, pathogen prevalence, and sex-age ratio.

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Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 49 , 2026 , e86
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2026. Published by Cambridge University Press

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