Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society

Visual narrative comprehension is crucial in today's visually driven world, yet research on aging and this ability remains inconclusive. The role of stress in this process is largely unexplored, despite stress becoming an ever-present factor in modern life. This online study investigated how acute stress affects visual narrative comprehension in younger (N = 203, 18-57 years) and older adults (N = 212, 60-85 years). Participants were assessed under stress and neutral conditions. Stress was induced through timed mathematical and logical tasks with social stress elements. Pictorial stories, consisting of three panels with the second intentionally left blank, were presented. On the next page, participants judged whether the given inference for the blank panel was correct. Results showed that acute stress impaired comprehension and confidence in younger adults, while older adults remained unaffected. These findings suggest that with age and experience, individuals develop more differentiated event schemas, enhancing resilience to stress.