Advanced Aging Enhances the Positivity Effect in Memory: Due to Cognitive Control or Age-Related Decline in Emotional Processing?

Abstract

Older adults typically remember more positive than negative information compared to their younger counterparts; a phenomenon referred to as the ‘positivity effect.’ According to the socioemotional selectivity theory (SST), the positivity effect derives from the age-related motivational shift towards attaining emotionally meaningful goals which become more important as the perception of future time becomes more limited. Cognitive control mechanisms are critical in achieving such goals and therefore SST predicts that the positivity effect is associated with preserved cognitive control mechanisms in older adults. In contrast, the aging-brain model suggests that the positivity effect is driven by an age-related decline in the amygdala which is responsible for emotional processing and emotional learning. The aim of the current research was to address whether the age-related positivity effect is associated with cognitive control or impaired emotional processing associated with aging. We included older old adults, younger old adults and younger adults and tested their memory for emotional stimuli, cognitive control and amygdala-dependent fear conditioned responses. Consistent with prior research, older adults, relative to younger adults, demonstrate better memory for positive over negative images. We further found that within a group of older adults, the positivity effect increases as a function of age, such that older old adults demonstrated a greater positivity effect compared to younger older adults. Furthermore, the positivity effect in older old adults was associated with preserved cognitive control, supporting the prediction of SST. Contrary to the prediction of the aging-brain model, participants across all groups demonstrated similar enhanced skin conductance responses to fear conditioned stimuli – responses known to rely on the amygdala. Our results support SST and suggest that the positivity effect in older adults is achieved by the preserved cognitive control mechanisms and is not a reflection of the impaired emotional function associated with age.

Memory of the UK’s 2016 EU Referendum: The effects of valence on the long-term measures of a flashbulb memory.

“…Emotional items and events are typically remembered better than non-emotional items and events (for reviews see LaBar & Cabeza, 2006;Talmi, 2013) and are often preserved in memory for longer, sometimes spanning several years (Dolcos et al, 2005;Levine & Edelstein, 2009). While this emotion-enhancing pattern is frequently shown in lab-based experiments (Dewhurst & Parry, 2000;Dolcos et al, 2004Dolcos et al, , 2005Dolcos & Cabeza, 2002;Sakaki et al, 2012Sakaki et al, , 2019, it also extends to real-life autobiographical memories. Flashbulb memories are a unique example of such memories that are typically formed following a surprising and highly emotional public event such as a national disaster or the death of a well-known public figure.…”

Memory of the U.K.’s 2016 EU referendum: The effects of valence on the long-term measures of a public event.

“…Emotional items and events are typically remembered better than nonemotional items and events (for reviews see LaBar & Cabeza, 2006; Talmi, 2013) and are often preserved in memory for longer, sometimes spanning several years (Dolcos et al, 2005; Levine & Edelstein, 2009). In lab-based settings, this emotion advantage is evident across a range of different stimuli; including words (Dewhurst & Parry, 2000; LaBar & Phelps, 1998), pictures (Dolcos et al, 2004; Dolcos & Cabeza, 2002; Nashiro et al, 2012; Ochsner, 2000; Sakaki et al, 2019) and film clips (Cahill et al, 1996). Emotional stimuli are also often remembered more vividly and with more confidence than neutral stimuli (Cooper et al, 2019; Sharot et al, 2004, 2007; Todd et al, 2012).…”

“…. In lab-based settings, this emotion advantage is evident across a range of different stimuli; including words (Dewhurst & Parry, 2000;LaBar & Phelps, 1998), pictures (Dolcos et al, 2004;Dolcos & Cabeza, 2002;Nashiro et al, 2012;Ochsner, 2000;Sakaki et al, 2019) and film clips (Cahill et al, 1996). Emotional stimuli are also often remembered more vividly and with more confidence than neutral stimuli (Cooper et al, 2019;Sharot et al, 2004Sharot et al, , 2007Todd et al, 2012).…”

Age-related positivity effect in emotional memory consolidation from middle age to late adulthood

“…For example, when participants are explicitly instructed to remember stimuli (i.e., intentional encoding; Kensinger et al, 2002 ; Grühn et al, 2005 ; Emery and Hess, 2008 ; Majerus and D’Argembeau, 2011 ; Eich and Castel, 2016 ), or to make judgments about the stimuli during encoding, such as evaluating the complexity of visual images and determining whether verbal stimuli are self-referential ( Comblain et al, 2004 ; Majerus and D’Argembeau, 2011 ), their ability to freely and naturally process emotional information may be hindered ( Grühn et al, 2005 ; Gallo et al, 2009 ; Majerus and D’Argembeau, 2011 ). Therefore, the positivity effect may be attenuated when participants’ goals or focus are influenced by the experimental instruction ( Carstensen and DeLiema, 2018 ; Sakaki et al, 2019 ).…”