[The age-related positivity effect: forgetting the negative and/or remembering the positive? An inter-task study].
Gériatrie et Psychologie Neuropsychiatrie du Viellissement. 2020-12-01; 18(4): 437-447
DOI: 10.1684/pnv.2020.0901
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Laulan P(1), Catheline G(2), Mayo W(3), Robert C(4), Mathey S(4).
Author information:
(1)Laboratoire de psychologie Labpsy – EA 4139, Université de Bordeaux,
BordeauxFrance, INCIA – CNRS UMR 5287, Université de Bordeaux, BordeauxFrance.
(2)INCIA – CNRS UMR 5287, Université de Bordeaux, BordeauxFrance, EPHE, PSL
Research University, BordeauxFrance.
(3)INCIA – CNRS UMR 5287, Université de Bordeaux, BordeauxFrance.
(4)Laboratoire de psychologie Labpsy – EA 4139, Université de Bordeaux,
BordeauxFrance.
A growing number of studies have shown that, compared to young adults, older
adults better remember positive information than negative information. However,
it is not clear whether this age-related positivity effect relies on an increase
in positive information memory and/or on a decrease in negative information
memory. Thus, we aimed to study the specific mechanisms underlying the
age-related positivity effect in different memory tasks. To do so, we used an
emotional word memory paradigm including immediate free recall, recognition and
delayed free recall tasks. Forty-five young adults (m = 20.0 years) and 45 older
adults (m = 69.2 years) native French speakers participated. Thirty-six low
French words, including 12 negative (e.g. égout), 12 positive (e.g. lagune) and
12 neutral (e.g. notion) words were selected from an emotional lexical database
(Gobin et al. 2017). For the recognition task, 36 new words were selected. The
results showed that the age-related positivity effect specifically depended on a
decrease in negativity preference (i.e. the comparison between negative and
neutral words) in older adults, in comparison with young adults, both in
immediate and delayed free recall tasks. Indeed, in these tasks, young adults
recalled more negative than neutral words whereas there was no difference in
older adults. In recognition task, no age-related positivity effect has been
observed. Moreover, the results showed that, in immediate recall, the higher the
older adults memory abilities, the lower their negativity preference. This
correlation was not significant in delayed recall. These results suggest that,
when compared with young adults, older adults disengage from negative words
processing through costly cognitive processes. A small magnitude of negativity
preference would indicate good maintenance of memory abilities. Results are
discussed in the framework of the socioemotional selectivity theory.