1
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Viher PV, Seitz-Holland J, Schulz MS, Kensinger EA, Karmacharya S, Swisher T, Lyall AE, Makris N, Bouix S, Shenton ME, Kubicki M, Waldinger RJ. More organized white matter is associated with positivity bias in older adults. Brain Imaging Behav 2024; 18:555-565. [PMID: 38270836 PMCID: PMC11222031 DOI: 10.1007/s11682-024-00850-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/05/2024] [Indexed: 01/26/2024]
Abstract
On average, healthy older adults prefer positive over neutral or negative stimuli. This positivity bias is related to memory and attention processes and is linked to the function and structure of several interconnected brain areas. However, the relationship between the positivity bias and white matter integrity remains elusive. The present study examines how white matter organization relates to the degree of the positivity bias among older adults. We collected imaging and behavioral data from 25 individuals (12 females, 13 males, and a mean age of 77.32). Based on a functional memory task, we calculated a Pos-Neg score, reflecting the memory for positively valenced information over negative information, and a Pos-Neu score, reflecting the memory for positively valenced information over neutral information. Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging data were processed using Tract-Based Spatial Statistics. We performed two non-parametric permutation tests to correlate whole brain white matter integrity and the Pos-Neg and Pos-Neu scores while controlling for age, sex, and years of education. We observed a statistically significant positive association between the Pos-Neu score and white matter integrity in multiple brain connections, mostly frontal. The results did not remain significant when including verbal episodic memory as an additional covariate. Our study indicates that the positivity bias in memory in older adults is associated with more organized white matter in the connections of the frontal brain. While these frontal areas are critical for memory and executive processes and have been related to pathological aging, more extensive studies are needed to fully understand their role in the positivity bias and the potential for therapeutic interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Petra V Viher
- Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Johanna Seitz-Holland
- Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - Marc S Schulz
- Department of Psychology, Bryn Mawr College, Bryn Mawr, PA, USA
| | | | - Sarina Karmacharya
- Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Talis Swisher
- Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Amanda E Lyall
- Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - Nikos Makris
- Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - Sylvain Bouix
- Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Martha E Shenton
- Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA
- Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Marek Kubicki
- Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA.
- Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Robert J Waldinger
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA
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2
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Devarayapuram Ramakrishnan S, Kausar H, Barber SJ. Younger and older adults' memory of past feelings surrounding an election. Memory 2024; 32:11-24. [PMID: 37930779 DOI: 10.1080/09658211.2023.2272780] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2023] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 11/07/2023]
Abstract
People often misremember their past feelings, especially when recalling their prior mood as opposed to their specific emotions in response to events. A previous study also found that the direction of memory errors varies based on feeling type; younger adults overestimated the intensity of prior moods but underestimated the intensity of prior event-specific emotions. This study aimed to replicate these patterns and test whether they vary with age. In doing so, we also tested whether an age-related positivity effect would emerge, such that older adults would be relatively more likely to overestimate past positive feelings and underestimate past negative feelings. Using a sample of American voters, who reported their feelings following the 2020 United States presidential election, we found that both younger and older adults subsequently overestimated the intensity of their past mood in the week following the election but were relatively accurate in recalling the intensity of their prior emotions about the election result. Unexpectedly, among election losers, we also observed an age-related negativity effect in recall for prior mood. When faced with negative real-world events, older adults may not show the same positivity biases that are observed in lab studies.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Hiba Kausar
- Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Sarah J Barber
- Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia
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3
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Theódórsdóttir D, Höller Y. Emotional Bias among Individuals at Risk for Seasonal Affective Disorder-An EEG Study during Remission in Summer. Brain Sci 2023; 14:2. [PMID: 38275507 PMCID: PMC10813094 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci14010002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2023] [Revised: 12/13/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Emotional bias in attention and memory is well researched in depression. Patients with depression prioritize processing of negative information over positive input. While there is evidence that emotional bias exists in seasonal affective disorder (SAD) during winter, it is unclear whether such altered cognition exists also during summer. Moreover, it is unclear whether such bias affects attention, memory, or both. In this study, we investigated 110 individuals in summer, 34 of whom reported suffering from low mood during winter, according to the seasonal pattern assessment questionnaire. While the electroencephalogram was recorded, participants learned 60 emotional pictures and subsequently were asked to recognize them in an old/new task. There were no clear group differences in behavioral measures, and no brain response differences in frontal alpha power during learning. During recognition, at 100-300 ms post stimulus individuals with higher seasonality scores exhibited larger alpha power in response to negative as compared to neutral stimuli, while individuals with low seasonality scores exhibited larger alpha power in response to positive as compared to neutral stimuli. While we cannot draw conclusions whether this is an effect of attention or memory, the finding suggests that early cognitive processes are altered already during summer in individuals with increased likelihood to experience SAD during winter. Our data provide evidence for an all-year-round cognitive vulnerability in this population.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Yvonne Höller
- Faculty of Psychology, University of Akureyri, 600 Akureyri, Iceland
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4
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James TA, Duarte A. Depressive symptoms are associated with reduced positivity preferences in episodic memory in aging. Neurobiol Aging 2023; 121:38-51. [PMID: 36371815 PMCID: PMC11212072 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2022.10.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2021] [Revised: 10/07/2022] [Accepted: 10/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Age-related positivity preferences are represented as greater memory benefits for positive and/or reduced benefits for negative material with age. It is unknown if positivity preferences are limited to older adults without depressive symptoms. In this fMRI study, adults across the lifespan with a range of depressive symptoms were scanned as they rated emotional intensity of images and subsequently completed a recognition memory task. Behavioral, univariate, and functional connectivity analyses provided evidence for interactive effects between age and depressive symptoms. With low depressive symptoms, typical age-related emotional preferences emerged: younger age was associated with better memory for negative images, and this benefit was reduced with older age. With increasing depressive symptoms in older age, positivity preferences were reduced, manifesting as improvements in negative memory. The neural data highlighted potential underlying mechanisms, including reductions in prefrontal cortex connectivity reflecting diminished ability to engage regulatory processes to reduce negative affect in older participants with higher depressive symptoms. These findings suggest that depressive symptoms in older adulthood reduce positivity preferences through alterations in neural networks underlying emotion regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taylor A James
- School of Psychology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA; Department of Neurology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.
| | - Audrey Duarte
- School of Psychology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA; Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
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5
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Tamera K, Kannampuzha C, Ta V, Hot P, Davidson PSR. Disentangling Aging and Mood Effects on Emotional Memory. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:944363. [PMID: 36090657 PMCID: PMC9462378 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.944363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2022] [Accepted: 06/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Older adults tend to be in a more positive mood than young adults, and tend to remember positive information more often than negative information, yet the link between their positive mood and their positive memory bias has not often been explored. In this study, we manipulated young and older adults’ moods prior to their completing an emotional memory task. For mood manipulation, young (n = 147) and older (n = 111) adults viewed a positive, negative, or neutral video lasting 3 min. To validate the mood induction, we collected self-reported ratings of valence and arousal (affective slider; Betella and Verschure, 2016) at baseline, after the video, and after the memory task. The memory task consisted of incidental encoding of 30 intermixed pictures (10 positive, 10 negative, 10 neutral valence), followed by free recall. The mood manipulation changed people’s self-reported valence, yet it did not influence self-reported arousal. The memory task revealed a consistent negativity bias in young adults. Older adults recalled negative and positive pictures equally well in all conditions. After viewing a negative video, they recalled positive pictures more often than neutral pictures, but did not show the same advantage for negative pictures over neutral pictures. This positive memory advantage was weaker in the positive mood condition. Therefore, mood manipulation influenced in part older adults’ emotional memory bias, showing some signs of mood incongruence which we discuss in terms of emotion regulation. This shows the importance of accounting for mood differences in studies on aging and memory. The robust age group differences support the view that the positivity effect in aging is the result of a negativity bias that fades with age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kylee Tamera
- School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Laboratoire de Psychologie et NeuroCognition (LPNC), Université Savoie Mont Blanc, Chambéry, France
- Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France
| | | | - Viviane Ta
- School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Pascal Hot
- Laboratoire de Psychologie et NeuroCognition (LPNC), Université Savoie Mont Blanc, Chambéry, France
- Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France
| | - Patrick S. R. Davidson
- School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- *Correspondence: Patrick S. R. Davidson,
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6
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Lee YI, Wojdynski B, Keib K, Jefferson BN, Malson J, Jun H. Image Framing, Emoticons, and Sharing Intention for Health-Related Posts on Facebook. CYBERPSYCHOLOGY, BEHAVIOR AND SOCIAL NETWORKING 2022; 25:140-146. [PMID: 34883028 DOI: 10.1089/cyber.2021.0002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
In response to calls for greater integration of research on the effects of visual images in the emotional and cognitive processing of health-related posts on Facebook, this study examined the questions of how gain-and-loss framed images, the valence of emoticon responses, and level of personal relevance of health topics contribute toward intentional engagement (e.g., sharing the posts) on Facebook. This study conducted a 2 (visual framing: gain vs. loss) × 2 (personal relevance of health topic: high vs. low) × 2 (emoticon valence: positive vs. negative) mixed-factorial experiment. A total of 187 college students were recruited to assess the impact of visual framing, personal relevance, and emoticon valence on sharing intention. Results showed that negative emoticons led to a higher intention to share health news posts than positive emoticons. Moreover, two parallel mediation models showed that (a) gain-framed images with high-relevance topics positively predicted perceived susceptibility but negatively predicted perceived severity that both positively impacted sharing intention; (b) loss-framed images with low-relevance topics positively predicted perceived severity but negatively predicted perceived susceptibility that both positively impacted the sharing intention. The implications regarding the contribution to the literature of visual framing and emotion on social media engagement and health communication are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yen-I Lee
- Department of Strategic Communication, Edward R. Murrow College of Communication, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, USA
| | - Bartosz Wojdynski
- Department of Journalism, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
| | - Kate Keib
- Department of Communication Studies, Oglethorpe University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | | | - Jennifer Malson
- Department of Media, Film, and Journalism Studies, University of Denver, Denver, Colorado, USA
| | - Hyoyeun Jun
- Department of English, Communications and Media, Salve Regina University, Newport, Rhode Island, USA
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7
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The age-related positivity effect in cognition: A review of key findings across different cognitive domains. PSYCHOLOGY OF LEARNING AND MOTIVATION 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.plm.2022.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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8
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Czeszumski A, Albers F, Walter S, König P. Let Me Make You Happy, and I'll Tell You How You Look Around: Using an Approach-Avoidance Task as an Embodied Emotion Prime in a Free-Viewing Task. Front Psychol 2021; 12:604393. [PMID: 33790829 PMCID: PMC8005526 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.604393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2020] [Accepted: 02/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The embodied approach of human cognition suggests that concepts are deeply dependent upon and constrained by an agent's physical body's characteristics, such as performed body movements. In this study, we attempted to broaden previous research on emotional priming, investigating the interaction of emotions and visual exploration. We used the joystick-based approach-avoidance task to influence the emotional states of participants, and subsequently, we presented pictures of news web pages on a computer screen and measured participant's eye movements. As a result, the number of fixations on images increased, the total dwell time increased, and the average saccade length from outside of the images toward the images decreased after the bodily congruent priming phase. The combination of these effects suggests increased attention to web pages' image content after the participants performed bodily congruent actions in the priming phase. Thus, congruent bodily interaction with images in the priming phase fosters visual interaction in the subsequent exploration phase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Artur Czeszumski
- Institute of Cognitive Science, Universität Osnabrück, Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Friederike Albers
- Institute of Cognitive Science, Universität Osnabrück, Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Sven Walter
- Institute of Cognitive Science, Universität Osnabrück, Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Peter König
- Institute of Cognitive Science, Universität Osnabrück, Osnabrück, Germany.,Institut für Neurophysiologie und Pathophysiologie, Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
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9
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Gong X, Fung HH, Zeng GQ, Tse CY. Cultural Relevance Reduces the Enhanced Neural Processing of Positively Valenced Information in Older Adults. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 2020; 75:2075-2085. [PMID: 31045230 DOI: 10.1093/geronb/gbz049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2018] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES This study investigated (a) whether the age-related enhancement in processing positive relative to negative emotional information happened at the early and/or late processing stages and (b) if the age-related positivity effect was modulated by cultural relevance using event-related brain potential (ERP). METHODS Seventeen younger and 19 older Chinese adults judged the emotional valence of Chinese and Western pictures while electroencephalogram (EEG) was recorded and analyzed by temporospatial principal component analysis to dissociate the processing stages. RESULTS (a) Larger N100 for negative than positive pictures was observed in younger, but not older adults, while older but not younger adults showed larger late anterior P300 for positive than negative pictures. (b) Older adults showed larger early posterior P300 for positive than negative Western pictures, but not culturally relevant Chinese pictures; such modulation effect by cultural relevance was absent in younger adults. DISCUSSION These findings suggest an age-related decrease in sensitivity to negative information in the earlier stage and an age-related increase in sensitivity to positive information in the later stage of cognitive processing. This supports a dual-route model of the age-related positivity effect. Moreover, the age-related positivity effect is more evident for stimuli with less cultural relevance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xianmin Gong
- Department of Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.,Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Helene H Fung
- Department of Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Ginger Qinghong Zeng
- Department of Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.,Center for Cognition and Brain Studies, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Chun-Yu Tse
- Department of Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.,Center for Cognition and Brain Studies, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
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10
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Boğa M, Günay B, Kapucu A. The Influence of Discrete Negative and Positive Stimuli on Recognition Memory of Younger vs. Older Adults. Exp Aging Res 2020; 47:21-39. [PMID: 33156738 DOI: 10.1080/0361073x.2020.1843894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Background: The effects of emotional stimuli on memory in older adults are often addressed in terms of socio-emotional selectivity theory and the valence dimension. Older adults usually remember positive stimuli better than negative stimuli. However, studies examining the effects of discrete emotions on the elderly are still limited. The present study examined the effects of negative and positive discrete emotions (fear, disgust, and happiness) on recognition memory of older and younger adults. Method: In the encoding phase, participants studied happiness-, disgust-, fear-, and neutral- related photos while doing a line discrimination task that assessed their attention. After 45 minutes, they completed an old/new recognition memory test on a confidence rating scale and also rated self-relevance of photos. Results: Younger participants showed a more liberal response bias for disgust- and fear-related stimuli, and were also more accurate in recognizing disgust-related photos compared to others. Older adults showed a more liberal bias only for disgust-related stimuli, however, their recognition accuracy did not differ across emotion categories. Conclusion: These results suggested that the effect of disgust-related stimuli on recognition memory may decrease with age and emotion effects cannot solely be accounted for by the valence/arousal dimensions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Merve Boğa
- Department of Psychology, Ege University , Izmir, Turkey
| | - Burcu Günay
- Department of Psychology, Ege University , Izmir, Turkey
| | - Aycan Kapucu
- Department of Psychology, Ege University , Izmir, Turkey
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11
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Li M, Peng H, Ji L. Roles of cognitive load and self‐relevance during emotional information searching on decision‐making. JOURNAL OF BEHAVIORAL DECISION MAKING 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/bdm.2169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Meijia Li
- Institute of Developmental Psychology Beijing Normal University Beijing China
| | - Huamao Peng
- Institute of Developmental Psychology Beijing Normal University Beijing China
| | - Lingling Ji
- Institute of Developmental Psychology Beijing Normal University Beijing China
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12
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Barber SJ, Lopez N, Cadambi K, Alferez S. The limited roles of cognitive capabilities and future time perspective in contributing to positivity effects. Cognition 2020; 200:104267. [PMID: 32229343 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2020.104267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2019] [Revised: 03/06/2020] [Accepted: 03/12/2020] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
When compared to younger adults, older adults tend to favor positive over negative information in attention and memory. This is known as the positivity effect. Although this is a robust phenomenon, there is still debate about how it relates to individual differences in cognitive capabilities and future time perspective (FTP). To address this, we investigated how measures of fluid cognitive capabilities and FTP related to positivity effects within the domains of episodic memory, visual attention, and autobiographical memory. Cognitive capabilities were assessed using the National Institute of Health Toolbox Cognition battery, and included assessments of executive function, working memory, episodic memory, and processing speed. FTP was assessed via the Carstensen and Lang (1996) scale. Within our final sample (N = 196), we replicated positivity effects in all three task domains, which were all driven by age differences in how people responded to negative (but not positive) information. However, there was limited evidence that the magnitude of these age-related reductions in negativity varied as a function of individual differences in older adults' cognitive capabilities or FTP. Furthermore, when FTP did emerge as a predictor, the pattern was not in line with expectations based upon socioemotional selectivity theory. Thus, the positivity effect may be less reliant on cognitive capabilities and self-reported FTP than is often assumed. Given that there was also very little consistency in the extent to which participants displayed positivity effects across the task domains, these results also raise the possibility that there may be multiple mechanisms underlying positivity effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah J Barber
- Department of Psychology, San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway Avenue, EP 301, San Francisco, CA 94132, United States of America; Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, P.O. Box 5010, Atlanta, GA 30302, United States of America.
| | - Noelle Lopez
- Department of Psychology, San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway Avenue, EP 301, San Francisco, CA 94132, United States of America
| | - Kriti Cadambi
- Department of Psychology, San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway Avenue, EP 301, San Francisco, CA 94132, United States of America
| | - Santos Alferez
- Department of Psychology, San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway Avenue, EP 301, San Francisco, CA 94132, United States of America
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13
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Jin M, Ji L, Peng H. The Relationship Between Cognitive Abilities and the Decision-Making Process: The Moderating Role of Self-Relevance. Front Psychol 2019; 10:1892. [PMID: 31474917 PMCID: PMC6702323 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01892] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2019] [Accepted: 07/31/2019] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
This study investigated the relationship between cognitive abilities and age differences in information search and the moderating role of task self-relevance by measuring the decision-making processes of participants in both high and low self-relevance decision-making tasks. The sample included 57 young and 65 older adults. They viewed five-alternative × five-attribute decision matrices that required them to open, with a mouse click, the information cells that interested them. Processing speed, verbal fluency, working memory, and vocabulary were measured as cognitive abilities. The dependent variables were search engagement (including time-related engagement and frequency-related engagement) and search pattern (calculated based on alternative-based or attribute-based search). The results from structured equation modeling showed that age negatively predicted these cognitive abilities (processing speed, verbal fluency, working memory, and vocabulary) and positively predicted information search engagement. Processing speed mediated the effect of age on study time per cell under tasks with both high and low self-relevance. Verbal fluency, meanwhile, mediated the total search time and checking time per cell when the task was highly self-related but not when the task had low self-relevance. These results suggest that self-relevance can moderate the mediation effect of verbal fluency on the relationship between age and information search time; this means that older adults whose verbal fluency was limited require relatively more time to search information to make an informed decision. However, this effect is only sufficient when the decision-making task is highly self-related and provokes more engagement motivation toward it.
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Affiliation(s)
- Menghan Jin
- Institute of Developmental Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China.,Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Lingling Ji
- Institute of Developmental Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China.,Faculty of Education, Beijing City University, Beijing, China
| | - Huamao Peng
- Institute of Developmental Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China.,Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
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14
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Abstract
Relative to younger adults, older adults attend to and remember positive information more than negative information. This shift from a negativity bias in younger age to a preference for positive information in later life is termed the 'positivity effect.' Based on nearly two decades of research and recent evidence from neuroscience, we argue that the effect reflects age-related changes in motivation that direct behavior and cognitive processing rather than neural or cognitive decline. Understanding the positivity effect, including conditions that reduce and enhance it, can inform effective public health and educational messages directed at older people.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura L Carstensen
- Stanford University, Department of Psychology, 450 Serra Mall, Building 420, Stanford, CA 94305, United States
| | - Marguerite DeLiema
- Stanford University, Stanford Center on Longevity, 365 Lasuen, St. Stanford, CA 94305, United States
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15
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A cluster-based approach to selecting representative stimuli from the International Affective Picture System (IAPS) database. Behav Res Methods 2018; 49:896-912. [PMID: 27287449 PMCID: PMC5429379 DOI: 10.3758/s13428-016-0750-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The International Affective Picture System (IAPS; Lang, Bradley, & Cuthbert, 2008) is a stimulus database that is frequently used to investigate various aspects of emotional processing. Despite its extensive use, selecting IAPS stimuli for a research project is not usually done according to an established strategy, but rather is tailored to individual studies. Here we propose a standard, replicable method for stimulus selection based on cluster analysis, which re-creates the group structure that is most likely to have produced the valence arousal, and dominance norms associated with the IAPS images. Our method includes screening the database for outliers, identifying a suitable clustering solution, and then extracting the desired number of stimuli on the basis of their level of certainty of belonging to the cluster they were assigned to. Our method preserves statistical power in studies by maximizing the likelihood that the stimuli belong to the cluster structure fitted to them, and by filtering stimuli according to their certainty of cluster membership. In addition, although our cluster-based method is illustrated using the IAPS, it can be extended to other stimulus databases.
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16
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Speirs C, Belchev Z, Fernandez A, Korol S, Sears C. Are there age differences in attention to emotional images following a sad mood induction? Evidence from a free-viewing eye-tracking paradigm. AGING NEUROPSYCHOLOGY AND COGNITION 2017; 25:928-957. [PMID: 29083260 DOI: 10.1080/13825585.2017.1391168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Two experiments examined age differences in the effect of a sad mood induction (MI) on attention to emotional images. Younger and older adults viewed sets of four images while their eye gaze was tracked throughout an 8-s presentation. Images were viewed before and after a sad MI to assess the effect of a sad mood on attention to positive and negative scenes. Younger and older adults exhibited positively biased attention after the sad MI, significantly increasing their attention to positive images, with no evidence of an age difference in either experiment. A test of participants' recognition memory for the images indicated that the sad MI reduced memory accuracy for sad images for younger and older adults. The results suggest that heightened attention to positive images following a sad MI reflects an affect regulation strategy related to mood repair. The implications for theories of the positivity effect are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Zorry Belchev
- a Department of Psychology , University of Calgary , Canada
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Bielecki M, Popiel A, Zawadzki B, Sedek G. Age As Moderator of Emotional Stroop Task Performance in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Front Psychol 2017; 8:1614. [PMID: 28970814 PMCID: PMC5609561 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2017] [Accepted: 09/01/2017] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Emotional Stroop task (EST) has been extensively used to investigate attentional processes in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Even though aging significantly changes the dynamics of emotion-cognition interactions, very little is known about its role in shaping EST performance in PTSD patients. In the present study we tested a uniquely large sample of motor vehicle accident victims. Data of 194 participants (75.3% female; mean age = 36.64 years, SD = 12.3) were included in the analysis, out of which 136 (70.1%) were diagnosed with PTSD. Prior to the psychiatric assessment, participants completed the pictorial version of EST (neutral, positive, negative, and accidents photos were presented). Comparison of the PTSD and control groups revealed a specific increase in reaction times (RTs) related to the exposure of trauma-related material. At the same time, previously unreported, moderating effects of age were also discovered. Older participants, in contrast to the younger group, showed no increase in RTs and interference scores in trials where accident photos were presented. Our study points to the key role of age as a previously understudied factor modifying EST performance in PTSD patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maksymilian Bielecki
- Department of Psychology, SWPS University of Social Sciences and HumanitiesWarsaw, Poland
| | - Agnieszka Popiel
- Department of Psychology, SWPS University of Social Sciences and HumanitiesWarsaw, Poland
| | - Bogdan Zawadzki
- The Robert B. Zajonc Institute for Social Studies, University of WarsawWarsaw, Poland
| | - Grzegorz Sedek
- Department of Psychology, SWPS University of Social Sciences and HumanitiesWarsaw, Poland
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Namaky N, Beltzer ML, Werntz AJ, Lambert AE, Isaacowitz DM, Teachman BA. Moderators of age effects on attention bias toward threat and its association with anxiety. J Affect Disord 2017; 216:46-57. [PMID: 27855961 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2016.10.048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2016] [Revised: 10/27/2016] [Accepted: 10/28/2016] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The current study used a research domain criteria (RDoC) approach to assess age differences in multiple indicators of attention bias and its ties to anxiety, examining stimulus domain and cognitive control as moderators of older adults' oft-cited positivity effect (bias towards positive and away from negative stimuli, when compared to younger adults). METHOD 38 Younger adults and 38 older adults were administered a battery of cognitive control and trait and state anxiety measures, and completed a dot-probe task to assess attention bias, during which reaction time and fixation duration (using eye-tracking) were recorded for negative and neutral social (a salient threat domain for younger adults) and physical (a salient threat domain for older adults) stimuli. RESULTS Mixed-effects models demonstrated that older adults were faster to react to dot-probe trials when the probe appeared in the place of negative (vs. neutral) physical stimuli, but displayed no difference in reaction time for social stimuli. Also, older (vs. younger) adults with lower levels of cognitive control were less negatively biased in their visual fixation to social stimuli. A negative reaction time attention bias on the dot-probe task predicted greater trait anxiety among participants with low levels of cognitive control, with a more complex pattern predicting state anxiety. CONCLUSION Older adults do attend to social and physical stimuli differently. When stimuli concern a social threat, older adults do not preferentially attend to either neutral or negative stimuli. However, when stimuli concern physical threat, older adults preferentially attend to negative stimuli. Threat biases are associated with anxiety at all ages for those with low cognitive control.
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Ready RE, Santorelli GD, Mather MA. Judgment and classification of emotion terms by older and younger adults. Aging Ment Health 2017; 21:684-692. [PMID: 26881742 DOI: 10.1080/13607863.2016.1150415] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Theoretical models of adult development suggest changes in emotion systems with age. This study determined how younger and older adults judged and classified 70 emotion terms that varied in valence and arousal, and that have been used in previous studies of adult aging and emotion. The terms were from the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule - Expanded (PANAS-X) and the (KS) affect scales. METHOD Older (n = 32) and younger adults (n = 111) engaged in a card sort task which determined how the 70 emotion terms were classified (i.e. grouped) in relation to one another. Activation and valence ratings of emotion terms were collected. RESULTS There were 17 age group differences in item ratings for activation and 19 for valence. Older adults tended to rate emotion terms and scales as more positive and activating than younger persons. Card sort data indicated similarity in conceptualizations of emotion terms across groups with exceptions for serene, sad, and lonely. CONCLUSIONS Research that utilizes self-report emotion data from older and younger persons should consider how perceptions of emotion terms may vary systematically with age. The constructs of sadness, loneliness, and serene may be age-variant and necessitate age-based adjustments in assessment and intervention. Further, older adults may perceive some emotion terms to be more activating and positive than younger persons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca E Ready
- a Department of Psychological and Brain Science , University of Massachusetts Amherst , MA , USA
| | - Gennarina D Santorelli
- a Department of Psychological and Brain Science , University of Massachusetts Amherst , MA , USA
| | - Molly A Mather
- a Department of Psychological and Brain Science , University of Massachusetts Amherst , MA , USA
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21
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Bjälkebring P, Västfjäll D, Dickert S, Slovic P. Greater Emotional Gain from Giving in Older Adults: Age-Related Positivity Bias in Charitable Giving. Front Psychol 2016; 7:846. [PMID: 27378966 PMCID: PMC4908114 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00846] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2016] [Accepted: 05/20/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Older adults have been shown to avoid negative and prefer positive information to a higher extent than younger adults. This positivity bias influences their information processing as well as decision-making. We investigate age-related positivity bias in charitable giving in two studies. In Study 1 we examine motivational factors in monetary donations, while Study 2 focuses on the emotional effect of actual monetary donations. In Study 1, participants (n = 353, age range 20-74 years) were asked to rate their affect toward a person in need and then state how much money they would be willing to donate to help this person. In Study 2, participants (n = 108, age range 19-89) were asked to rate their affect toward a donation made a few days prior. Regression analysis was used to investigate whether or not the positivity bias influences the relationship between affect and donations. In Study 1, we found that older adults felt more sympathy and compassion and were less motivated by negative affect when compared to younger adults, who were motivated by both negative and positive affect. In Study 2, we found that the level of positive emotional reactions from monetary donations was higher in older participants compared to younger participants. We find support for an age-related positivity bias in charitable giving. This is true for motivation to make a future donation, as well as affective thinking about a previous donation. We conclude that older adults draw more positive affect from both the planning and outcome of monetary donations and hence benefit more from engaging in monetary charity than their younger counterparts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pär Bjälkebring
- Department of Psychology, University of GothenburgGothenburg, Sweden
| | - Daniel Västfjäll
- Linköping UniversityLinköping, Sweden
- Decision Research, University of Oregon, EugeneOR, USA
| | - Stephan Dickert
- Linköping UniversityLinköping, Sweden
- Vienna University of Economics and BusinessVienna, Austria
| | - Paul Slovic
- Decision Research, University of Oregon, EugeneOR, USA
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22
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Feeling good, searching the bad: Positive priming increases attention and memory for negative stimuli on webpages. COMPUTERS IN HUMAN BEHAVIOR 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.chb.2015.07.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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Köster M, Rüth M, Hamborg KC, Kaspar K. Effects of Personalized Banner Ads on Visual Attention and Recognition Memory. APPLIED COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY 2014. [DOI: 10.1002/acp.3080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Moritz Köster
- Institute of Psychology; University of Osnabrück; Germany
- Center for Cognitive Science; Technical University of Kaiserslautern; Germany
| | - Marco Rüth
- Institute of Cognitive Science; University of Osnabrück; Germany
- Graduate School of Neural and Behavioural Sciences; Eberhard Karls University; Tübingen Germany
| | | | - Kai Kaspar
- Social and Media Psychology, Department of Psychology; University of Cologne; Germany
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Selective control of attention supports the positivity effect in aging. PLoS One 2014; 9:e104180. [PMID: 25093459 PMCID: PMC4122404 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0104180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2014] [Accepted: 07/11/2014] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
There is emerging evidence for a positivity effect in healthy aging, which describes an age-specific increased focus on positive compared to negative information. Life-span researchers have attributed this effect to the selective allocation of cognitive resources in the service of prioritized emotional goals. We explored the basic principles of this assumption by assessing selective attention and memory for visual stimuli, differing in emotional content and self-relevance, in young and old participants. To specifically address the impact of cognitive control, voluntary attentional selection during the presentation of multiple-item displays was analyzed and linked to participants' general ability of cognitive control. Results revealed a positivity effect in older adults' selective attention and memory, which was particularly pronounced for self-relevant stimuli. Focusing on positive and ignoring negative information was most evident in older participants with a generally higher ability to exert top-down control during visual search. Our findings highlight the role of controlled selectivity in the occurrence of a positivity effect in aging. Since the effect has been related to well-being in later life, we suggest that the ability to selectively allocate top-down control might represent a resilience factor for emotional health in aging.
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Hess TM. Selective Engagement of Cognitive Resources: Motivational Influences on Older Adults' Cognitive Functioning. PERSPECTIVES ON PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2014; 9:388-407. [PMID: 26173272 PMCID: PMC5911399 DOI: 10.1177/1745691614527465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 136] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
In this article, I present a framework for understanding the impact of aging-related declines in cognitive resources on functioning. I make the assumption that aging is associated with an increase in the costs of cognitive engagement, as reflected in both the effort required to achieve a specific level of task performance and the associated depletion or fatigue effects. I further argue that these costs result in older adults being increasingly selective in the engagement of cognitive resources in response to these declines. This selectivity is reflected in (a) a reduction in the intrinsic motivation to engage in cognitively demanding activities, which, in part, accounts for general reductions in engagement in such activities, and (b) greater sensitivity to the self-related implications of a given task. Both processes are adaptive if viewed in terms of resource conservation, but the former may also be maladaptive to the extent that it results in older adults restricting participation in cognitively demanding activities that could ultimately benefit cognitive health. I review supportive research and make the general case for the importance of considering motivational factors in understanding aging effects on cognitive functioning.
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Tomaszczyk JC, Fernandes MA. Age-related differences in attentional bias for emotional faces. AGING NEUROPSYCHOLOGY AND COGNITION 2013; 21:544-59. [DOI: 10.1080/13825585.2013.838201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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Tomaszczyk JC, Fernandes MA. A Positivity Effect in Older Adults’ Memorability Judgments of Pictures. Exp Aging Res 2013; 39:254-74. [DOI: 10.1080/0361073x.2013.779178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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Hess TM, Popham LE, Dennis PA, Emery L. Information content moderates positivity and negativity biases in memory. Psychol Aging 2013; 28:853-63. [PMID: 23421322 DOI: 10.1037/a0031440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Two experiments examined the impact of encoding conditions and information content in memory for positive, neutral, and negative pictures. We examined the hypotheses that the positivity effect in memory (i.e., a bias in favor of positive or against negative information in later life) would be reduced when (a) pictures were viewed under structured as opposed to unstructured conditions, and (b) contained social as opposed to nonsocial content. Both experiments found that the positivity effect observed with nonsocial stimuli was absent with social stimuli. In addition, little evidence was obtained that encoding conditions affected the strength of the positivity effect. We argue that some types of social stimuli may engage different types of processing than nonsocial stimuli, perhaps encouraging self-referential processing that engages attention and supports memory. This processing may then conflict with the goal-driven, top-down processing that is hypothesized to drive the positivity effect. Thus, our results identify further boundary conditions associated with the positivity effect in memory, arguing that stimulus factors as well as situational goals may affect its occurrence. Further research awaits to determine if this effect is specific to all social stimuli or specific subsets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas M Hess
- Department of Psychology, North Carolina State University
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Bjälkebring P, Västfjäll D, Johansson B. Regulation of Experienced and Anticipated Regret for Daily Decisions in Younger and Older Adults in a Swedish One-Week Diary Study. GEROPSYCH-THE JOURNAL OF GERONTOPSYCHOLOGY AND GERIATRIC PSYCHIATRY 2013. [DOI: 10.1024/1662-9647/a000102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Regret and regret regulation were studied using a weeklong web-based diary method. 108 participants aged 19 to 89 years reported regret for a decision made and a decision to be made. They also reported the extent to which they used strategies to prevent or regulate decision regret. Older adults reported both less experienced and anticipated regret compared to younger adults. The lower level of experienced regret in older adults was mediated by reappraisal of the decision. The lower level of anticipated regret was mediated by delaying the decision, and expecting regret in older adults. It is suggested that the lower level of regret observed in older adults is partly explained by regret prevention and regulation strategies.
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Tomaszczyk JC, Fernandes MA. A positivity effect in autobiographical memory, but not phonemic fluency, in older adults. AGING NEUROPSYCHOLOGY AND COGNITION 2012; 19:699-722. [DOI: 10.1080/13825585.2011.646940] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
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Nashiro K, Mather M, Gorlick MA, Nga L. Negative emotional outcomes impair older adults' reversal learning. Cogn Emot 2011; 25:1014-28. [PMID: 21432639 PMCID: PMC3135772 DOI: 10.1080/02699931.2010.542999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
In a typical reversal-learning experiment, one learns stimulus-outcome contingencies that then switch without warning. For instance, participants might have to repeatedly choose between two faces, one of which yields points whereas the other does not, with a reversal at some point in which face yields points. The current study examined age differences in the effects of outcome type on reversal learning. In the first experiment, the participants' task was either to select the person who would be in a better mood or to select the person who would yield more points. Reversals in which face was the correct option occurred several times. Older adults did worse in blocks in which the correct response was to select the person who would not be angry than in blocks in which the correct response was to select the person who would smile. Younger adults did not show a difference by emotional valence. In the second study, the negative condition was switched to have the same format as the positive condition (to select who will be angry). Again, older adults did worse with negative than positive outcomes, whereas younger adults did not show a difference by emotional valence. A third experiment replicated the lack of valence effects in younger adults with a harder probabilistic reversal-learning task. In the first two experiments, older adults performed about as well as younger adults in the positive conditions but performed worse in the negative conditions. These findings suggest that negative emotional outcomes selectively impair older adults' reversal learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaoru Nashiro
- Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0191, USA.
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Ko SG, Lee TH, Yoon HY, Kwon JH, Mather M. How does context affect assessments of facial emotion? The role of culture and age. Psychol Aging 2011; 26:48-59. [PMID: 21038967 DOI: 10.1037/a0020222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
People from Asian cultures are more influenced by context in their visual processing than people from Western cultures. In this study, we examined how these cultural differences in context processing affect how people interpret facial emotions. We found that younger Koreans were more influenced than younger Americans by emotional background pictures when rating the emotion of a central face, especially those younger Koreans with low self-rated stress. In contrast, among older adults, neither Koreans nor Americans showed significant influences of context in their face emotion ratings. These findings suggest that cultural differences in reliance on context to interpret others' emotions depend on perceptual integration processes that decline with age, leading to fewer cultural differences in perception among older adults than among younger adults. Furthermore, when asked to recall the background pictures, younger participants recalled more negative pictures than positive pictures, whereas older participants recalled similar numbers of positive and negative pictures. These age differences in the valence of memory were consistent across culture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seon-Gyu Ko
- Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
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Gotlib IH, Jonides J, Buschkuehl M, Joormann J. Memory for affectively valenced and neutral stimuli in depression: evidence from a novel matching task. Cogn Emot 2011; 25:1246-54. [PMID: 21432643 DOI: 10.1080/02699931.2010.538374] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Depressed persons have better memory for affectively negative than positive stimuli, a pattern generally not exhibited by non-depressed individuals. The mechanisms underlying this differential memory are not clear. In this study we examined memory for valenced and neutral stimuli in depressed and non-depressed individuals under conditions of relatively unconstrained encoding. We developed a novel task based on the game, Concentration, in which participants tried to match pairs of positive and negative words, and pairs of neutral words, hidden under squares in as few turns as possible. Whereas non-depressed participants selected and turned over positive squares more frequently than they did negative squares, depressed participants selected and turned over positive and negative squares equally often. Depressed participants also matched fewer positive word pairs within the first five minutes of the task than did non-depressed participants, and they exhibited poorer learning of positive words. Depressed and non-depressed participants did not differ in their matching of neutral words. These findings add to a growing literature indicating that depression is characterised by difficulties in the processing of positive stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian H Gotlib
- Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
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Abstract
A number of recent studies have shown that associative memory for within-item features is enhanced for emotionally arousing items, whereas arousal-enhanced binding is not seen for associations between distinct items (for a review, see Mather, 2007, Perspectives on Psychological Science, 2, 33-52). The costs and benefits of arousal in memory binding have been examined for younger adults but not for older adults. The present experiment examined whether arousal would enhance younger and older adults' within-item and between-item memory binding. The results revealed that arousal improved younger adults' within-item memory binding but not that of older adults. Arousal worsened both groups' between-item memory binding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaoru Nashiro
- Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089-0191, USA.
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35
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Chung C. Effects of View of Life and Selection Bias on Emotional Memory in Old Age. GEROPSYCH 2010. [DOI: 10.1024/1662-9647/a000019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Many studies have documented that we remember less negative information as we grow older. The present study examined the effects of view of life and selection bias on this positivity effect using an emotional picture memory task. Young adults were tested in the laboratory, and older adults were either tested in the laboratory or at home. Results confirmed a positivity effect in old age. Selection bias and view of life did not significantly influence older adults’ emotional memory as predicted. Metamemory, however, was affected by selection bias: Older adults tested in the laboratory had higher self-rated memory scores than those who tested at home.
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Mickley KR, Kensinger EA. Phenomenological characteristics of emotional memories in younger and older adults. Memory 2009; 17:528-43. [PMID: 19468956 PMCID: PMC2858629 DOI: 10.1080/09658210902939363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Older adults sometimes show a "positivity effect" in memory, remembering proportionally more positive information than younger adults. Using a modified Memory Characteristics Questionnaire, this study examined whether emotional valence impacts the phenomenological qualities of young and older adults' memories. Ageing did not impact the effect of valence on the qualities of high-arousal memories. However, ageing sometimes impacted subjective memory for details of low-arousal memories: In Experiment 2, older adults reported remembering more thoughts, feelings, and temporal order details about positive low-arousal stimuli, while young adults' ratings for those dimensions were higher for negative low-arousal stimuli. These findings suggest that valence most readily affects the qualities of young and older adults' emotional memories when those memories are low in arousal.
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