Age differences in the organization of emotion knowledge: effects involving valence and time frame. Academic Article uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • Older and younger adults attend to and remember emotion information differently. The present study builds on this work by investigating age-related differences in the schematic organization of emotion knowledge. Younger and older adults reported on their experiences of positive and negative affect, both today and in general. Of primary interest was judgment speed as a function of matches (e.g., positive-positive) or mismatches (e.g., negative-positive) in valence and time frame across consecutive trials. Older adults exhibited stronger valence-related priming effects and weaker time-frame-related priming effects, relative to younger adults. Results remained significant when controlling for individual differences in speed, speed variability, motor priming, temperament, and life satisfaction. The discussion focuses on the manner in which age differences in the schematic organization of emotion knowledge might contribute to age differences in the self-concept, affective processing, and emotional experience.

publication date

  • December 1, 2006

Research

keywords

  • Affect
  • Attitude
  • Cognition
  • Reaction Time
  • Social Perception

Identity

Scopus Document Identifier

  • 33846005114

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1037/0882-7974.21.4.726

PubMed ID

  • 17201493

Additional Document Info

volume

  • 21

issue

  • 4