Young adults can be surprisingly accurate at making inferences about people from their faces. Although these first impressions have important consequences for both the perceiver and the target, it remains an open question whether first impression accuracy is preserved with age. Specifically, could age differences in impressions toward others stem from age-related deficits in accurately detectin...

The study investigated the effect of observational goals (i.e., impression formation and memory) on the process of observing ongoing behavior of others. Specifically, the amount of behavior extraction was studied. Forty-nine subjects were randomly assigned to impression and memory groups, and asked to watch a ten-minute video clip featuring a male actor in daily activities. The subjects in the ...