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Related Experiment Video

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Psychophysiological Assessment of the Effectiveness of Emotion Regulation Strategies in Childhood

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Published on: February 11, 2017

Age effects to negative arousal differ for self-report and electrodermal activity.

Joachim Gavazzeni¹, Stefan Wiens, Håkan Fischer

¹Aging Research Center, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. Joachim.Gavazzeni@ki.se

Psychophysiology

|September 14, 2007

Summary

Older adults report increased emotional intensity but show reduced physiological arousal to negative images compared to younger adults. Age impacts affective processing differently across subjective experience and bodily responses.

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Area of Science:

Psychology
Neuroscience
Gerontology

Background:

Affective processing and emotional experiences can change with age.
Previous research on age differences in affective experiences yields mixed results.
Standardized stimuli have been used, but gradual increases in arousal are less explored.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate age-related differences in affective processing along gradual increases in negative arousal.
To compare subjective intensity ratings and physiological responses (electrodermal activity) between younger and older adults.

Main Methods:

Recruited younger (20-30 years) and older (70-80 years) healthy adults (n=78).
Participants viewed 110 neutral to negative International Affective Picture System (IAPS) images.
Recorded intensity ratings and electrodermal activity (EDA) during image viewing.

Main Results:

Older adults reported greater increases in emotional intensity ratings than younger adults.
Older adults exhibited attenuated electrodermal activity compared to younger adults, particularly at high negative arousal levels.
Age demonstrated opposing effects on subjective intensity ratings versus physiological arousal responses.

Conclusions:

Age-related changes in affective processing are multifaceted, affecting subjective experience and physiological responses differently.
Subjective intensity ratings and electrodermal activity may capture distinct aspects of emotional processing, leading to varied age effects.
Future research should consider the dissociation between self-reported experience and physiological measures when examining aging and emotion.