title: Attenuating age-related learning deficits: emotional valenced feedback interacts with task complexity.
abstract: Previous research reveals that older adults sometimes show enhanced processing of emotionally positive stimuli relative to negative stimuli, but that this positivity bias reverses to become a negativity bias when cognitive control resources are less available. In this study, we test the hypothesis that emotionally positive feedback will attenuate well-established age-related deficits in rule learning whereas emotionally negative feedback will amplify age deficits-but that this pattern will reverse when the task involves a high cognitive load. Experiment 1 used emotional face feedback and revealed an interaction among age, valence of the feedback, and task load. When the task placed minimal load on cognitive control resources, happy-face feedback attenuated age-related deficits in initial rule learning and angry-face feedback led to age-related deficits in initial rule learning and set shifting. However, when the task placed a high load on cognitive control resources, we found that angry-face feedback attenuated age-related deficits in initial rule learning and set shifting whereas happy-face feedback led to age-related deficits in initial rule learning and set shifting. Experiment 2 used less emotional point feedback and revealed age-related deficits in initial rule learning and set shifting under low and high cognitive load for point-gain and point-loss conditions. The research presented here demonstrates that emotional feedback can attenuate age-related learning deficits-but only positive feedback for tasks with a low cognitive load and negative feedback for tasks with high cognitive load.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78712, USA.
authors.forename: Marissa A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Gorlick
authors.forename: Gyslain
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Giguère
authors.forename: Brian D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Glass
authors.forename: Brittany N
authors.initials: BN
authors.lastname: Nix
authors.forename: Mara
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mather
authors.forename: W Todd
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: Maddox
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology*; D000786:Anger; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D004644:Emotions; D005149:Facial Expression; D030141:Feedback, Psychological / Q000502:physiology*; D006240:Happiness; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012718:Set, Psychology; D055815:Young Adult