The time course of age-related preferences toward positive and negative stimuli.
When and why do older adults show positive preferences in their gaze patterns, looking preferentially toward positive and away from some negative stimuli? The current study investigated the time course of older adults' preferential fixation toward positive (happy) stimuli and away from negative (angry) stimuli to discern whether such patterns are more consistent with cognitive control or with simplified processing accounts of their origins. Positive preferences in older adults were found to emerge only 500 ms and later after stimulus onset and increased linearly over time; this time course is consistent with a cognitive control account.
Isaacowitz
Derek M
DM
Department of Psychology and Volen National Center for Complex Systems, Brandeis University, 415 South Street MS 062, Waltham, MA 02454-9110, USA. dmi@brandeis.edu
Allard
Eric S
ES
Murphy
Nora A
NA
Schlangel
Mark
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000339:Affect; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D001362:Avoidance Learning; D002755:Choice Behavior; D005149:Facial Expression; D005260:Female; D005403:Fixation, Ocular; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009042:Motivation; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual; D011930:Reaction Time; D055815:Young Adult