Age-Related Differences in Factors Contributing to Affective Experiences among Japanese Adults

People’s needs for products and services providing affective experiences continue to grow. Previous studies have made initial attempts at clarifying affective factors contributing to the generation of affects among Japanese participants. However, those studies focused only on younger adults. Given that most products are designed for a wide range of users, it is important to determine whether results obtained among Japanese younger adults generalize to broader populations including older adults. The purpose of this study was to explore the difference in factor structures of affective factors among Japanese older and younger adults. This study also explored how people’s affective responses toward stimuli may vary across ages. A questionnaire-based investigation was conducted with both younger and older adults in Japan. Results indicated that affective responses elicited by the same stimulus varied across age groups. Younger and older adults’ affects were evoked in different ways while participants’ perceptions toward the same stimulus also varied across age groups. The result of this study would help designers to design products or services that elicit target users’ affects more effectively according to the characteristics of younger and older adults as target users.