Meta-analysis of the age-related positivity effect: age differences in preferences for positive over negative information
| Autor: | Joseph A. Mikels, Larry Chan, Andrew E. Reed |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2014 |
| Předmět: |
Adult
Aging Social Psychology Age differences Negative information Emotions Information processing Age Factors Contrast (statistics) Reproducibility of Results Cognition Empirical Research Developmental psychology Young Adult Empirical research Memory Meta-analysis Humans Attention Geriatrics and Gerontology Positivity effect Psychology Aged |
| Zdroj: | Psychology and aging. 29(1) |
| ISSN: | 1939-1498 |
| Popis: | In contrast to long-held axioms of old age as a time of "doom and gloom," mounting evidence indicates an age-related positivity effect in attention and memory. However, several studies report inconsistent findings that raise critical questions about the effect's reliability, robustness, and potential moderators. To address these questions, we conducted a systematic meta-analysis of 100 empirical studies of the positivity effect (N = 7,129). Results indicate that the positivity effect is reliable and moderated by theoretically implicated methodological and sample characteristics. The positivity effect is larger in studies that do not constrain (vs. constrain) cognitive processing-reflecting older adults' natural information processing preferences-and in studies incorporating wider (vs. narrower) age comparisons. Analyses indicated that older adults show a significant information processing bias toward positive versus negative information, whereas younger adults show the opposite pattern. We discuss implications of these findings for theoretical perspectives on emotion-cognition interactions across the adult life span and suggest future research directions. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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