People pay less attention to other points of view and talk more about irrelevant details as they get older, according to a British study.
Linguists made the findings by using computerised listening and visual tests to assess thinking skills in a group of people aged 17 to 84.
The results showed how people's ability to respond to different perspectives deteriorates with age.
Lead researcher Madeleine Long, of the University of Edinburgh, said: "The study identified two attentional functions that influence whether we consider another's point of view and how that changes as we age.
"This is particularly important for older adults who are more susceptible to revealing private information.
"We hope these findings can be used to design targeted training that helps older adults improve these skills and avoid embarrassing and potential risky communicative errors."
Researchers asked 100 people to describe one of four objects to a partner who could only see three of the objects.
Older participants were more likely to mention details about the hidden object, revealing irrelevant information to their partner.
The team found an age-related decline in attention-switching skills and this ability determined how older adults responded to their partner's perspective.
For younger adults, their ability to filter distracting information was what determined their ability to consider others' points of view more effectively.
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