title: Local context effects during emotional item directed forgetting in younger and older adults.
abstract: This paper explored the differential sensitivity young and older adults exhibit to the local context of items entering memory. We examined trial-to-trial performance during an item directed forgetting task for positive, negative, and neutral (or baseline) words each cued as either to-be-remembered (TBR) or to-be-forgotten (TBF). This allowed us to focus on how variations in emotional valence (independent of arousal) and instruction (TBR vs. TBF) of the previous item (trial n-1) impacted memory for the current item (trial n) during encoding. Different from research showing impairing effects of emotional arousal, both age groups showed a memorial boost for stimuli when preceded by items high in positive or negative valence relative to those preceded by neutral items. This advantage was particularly prominent for neutral trial n items that followed emotional items suggesting that, regardless of age, neutral memories may be strengthened by a local context that is high in valence. A trending age difference also emerged with older adults showing greater sensitivity when encoding instructions changed between trial n-1 and n. Results are discussed in light of age-related theories of cognitive and emotional processing, highlighting the need to consider the dynamic, moment-to-moment fluctuations of these systems.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychology , Ryerson University , Toronto , Canada.
authors.forename: Sara N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Gallant
authors.affiliation: b School of Psychology, University of Sussex , Falmer , UK.
authors.forename: Benjamin J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Dyson
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychology , Ryerson University , Toronto , Canada.
authors.forename: Lixia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D003463:Cues; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory; D011939:Mental Recall; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D021641:Recognition, Psychology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Local context; ageing; directed forgetting; emotional memory; valence