title: The positivity bias in aging: Motivation or degradation?
abstract: The question of an emotional memory enhancement in aging, and of a positivity bias in particular, has been the subject of numerous empirical studies in the last decade. However, the roots of such positive preference are not yet well established. Partisans of a motivation-based perspective contend with those arguing that positivity is related to a cognitive or neural degradation. The aim of this study was to introduce some elements concerning positivity effect in aging. We compared immediate (i.e., immediate recall) versus delayed (i.e., delayed recall and recognition) emotional memory performance in 38 young adults, 39 old adults, 37 very old adults, and 41 Alzheimer's disease patients. Moreover, we manipulated the encoding instruction: Either participants received no particular processing instruction, or they had to process the material in a semantic way. The results indicated that the positivity bias is most likely to occur in individuals whose cognitive functions are preserved, after long retention delay, and in experimental conditions that do not constrain encoding. We concluded by highlighting that although these findings seem to be better in line with the motivation, rather than the degradation, perspective, they do not fully support either theory. (PsycINFO Database Record
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire Mémoire et Cognition, INSERM UMR S894, Centre de Psychiatrie et Neurosciences, Université Paris Descartes.
authors.forename: Sandrine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kalenzaga
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire Mémoire et Cognition, INSERM UMR S894, Centre de Psychiatrie et Neurosciences, Université Paris Descartes.
authors.forename: Virginie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Lamidey
authors.affiliation: EA 4468 Université Paris Descartes.
authors.forename: Anne-Marie
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Ergis
authors.affiliation: UMR-CNRS 7295 Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition et l'Apprentissage, Université de Poitiers.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Clarys
authors.affiliation: Université Paris Descartes.
authors.forename: Pascale
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Piolino
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000502:physiology*; D011939:Mental Recall / Q000502:physiology*; D009042:Motivation / Q000502:physiology*; D021641:Recognition, Psychology / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult