Age influences the relation between subjective valence ratings and emotional word use during autobiographical memory retrieval.
Recent research reveals an age-related increase in positive autobiographical memory retrieval using a number of positivity measures, including valence ratings and positive word use. It is currently unclear whether the positivity shift in each of these measures co-occurs, or if age uniquely influences multiple components of autobiographical memory retrieval. The current study examined the correspondence between valence ratings and emotional word use in young and older adults' autobiographical memories. Positive word use in narratives was associated with valence ratings only in young adults' narratives. Older adults' narratives contained a consistent level of positive word use regardless of valence rating, suggesting that positive words and concepts may be chronically accessible to older adults during memory retrieval, regardless of subjective valence. Although a relation between negative word use in narratives and negative valence ratings was apparent in both young and older adults, it was stronger in older adults' narratives. These findings confirm that older adults do vary their word use in accordance with subjective valence, but they do so in a way that is different from young adults. The results also point to a potential dissociation between age-related changes in subjective valence and in positive word use.
['Ford|Jaclyn H|JH|', 'DiGirolamo|Marissa A|MA|', 'Kensinger|Elizabeth A|EA|']
D000328:Adult D000367:Age Factors D000368:Aged D000369:Aged, 80 and over D000375:Aging D004644:Emotions D005260:Female D006801:Humans D008297:Male D061212:Memory, Episodic D011939:Mental Recall D009483:Neuropsychological Tests D055815:Young Adult
ageing emotion Autobiographical memory