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Personnes âgées et perception des risques en matière de conduite automobile: les conducteurs âgés manifestent-ils encore de l'optimisme comparatif?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 March 2010

Florence Spitzenstetter  and
Michelle Moessinger
Florence Spitzenstetter*
Affiliation:
Équipe de recherche en psychologie sociale, Faculté de Psychologie et des sciences de l'éducation, Strasbourg, France
Michelle Moessinger
Affiliation:
Laboratoire d’accidentologie, de biomécanique et d’étude du comportement humain, PSA Peugeot Citroën-Renault (LAB), Nanterre, France
*
Requests for offprints should be sent to:/Les demandes de tirés-à-part doivent être adressées à: Florence Spitzenstetter, URP, Subjectivité, connaissances et lien social, EA3071, Équipe de recherche en psychologie sociale, Faculté de Psychologie et des sciences de l'éducation, 12, rue Goethe, 67000 Strasbourg, France, ([email protected])
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Abstract

People frequently express comparative optimism; that is, they believe they are less likely than average to experience negative events. The aim of the present study is, first, to observe whether people of more than 65 years are still optimists when they evaluate driving-related risks; and second, to test the assumption that older drivers show less optimism when they compare themselves with average-age drivers than when they compare themselves with same-age drivers. Our results reveal that drivers of more than 65 years do, indeed, express comparative optimism, but, contrary to our expectation, only in a limited number of cases does the age of the comparison target appear to have an effect. These results are particularly discussed in terms of self-image enhancement.

Résumé

Les individus manifestent fréquemment de l'optimisme comparatif, c’est-à-dire qu’ils considèrent leur risque d’être confrontés à des événements négatifs inférieur à celui d’autrui. l'objectif de cette étude est premièrement d’examiner si ce phénomène s’avère toujours présent chez les personnes de plus de 65ans lorsqu’elles évaluent des risques liés à la conduite automobile. Deuxièmement, il s’agit de vérifier l'hypothèse selon laquelle cet optimisme est de moindre importance lorsqu’il s’agit de se comparer au conducteur d’âge moyen en comparaison au conducteur de même âge. Nos résultats révèlent que les conducteurs de plus de 65ans manifestent effectivement de l'optimisme comparatif, mais, contrairement à notre attente, l'effet de l'âge de la cible de comparaison n’apparaît que dans un nombre limité de cas. Ces résultats sont notamment discutés en termes de maintien d’une image de soi positive.

Keywords

agingunrealistic optimismolder peoplerisksself-imagedrivingvieillissementoptimisme comparatifpersonnes âgéesrisquesimage de soiconduite automobile
Type
Articles
Information
Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement , Volume 27 , Issue 2 , Summer/Été 2008 , pp. 159 - 167
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association on Gerontology 2008

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