title: The effects of age and emotional valence on recognition memory: an ex-Gaussian components analysis.
abstract: The aim of this work was to study the effects of valence and age on visual image recognition memory. The International Affective Picture System (IAPS) battery was used, and response time data were analyzed using analysis of variance, as well as an ex-Gaussian fit method. Older participants were slower and more variable in their reaction times. Response times were longer for negative valence pictures, however this was statistically significant only for young participants. This suggests that negative emotional valence has a strong effect on recognition memory in young but not in old participants. The τ parameter, often related to attention in the literature, was smaller for young than old participants in an ex-Gaussian fit. Differences on the τ parameter might suggest poorer attentional performance in old participants.
authors.affiliation: Universidad Católica de Valencia "San Vicente Mártir", Spain.
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Moret-Tatay
authors.forename: Amparo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Moreno-Cid
authors.forename: Irani Iracema de Lima
authors.initials: II
authors.lastname: Argimon
authors.forename: Tatiana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Quarti Irigaray
authors.forename: Marcin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Szczerbinski
authors.forename: Mike
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Murphy
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vázquez-Martínez
authors.forename: Joan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vázquez-Molina
authors.forename: Begoña
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sáiz-Mauleón
authors.forename: Esperanza
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Navarro-Pardo
authors.forename: Pedro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fernández de Córdoba Castellá
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001143:Arousal / Q000502:physiology*; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D021641:Recognition, Psychology / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Ex-Gaussian components; age; emotional valence; recognition