Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Motivational Bias01:25

Motivational Bias

456
Cognitive bias results from limitations in thinking and information processing, leading to systematic errors in judgment. Conversely, motivational bias stems from personal desires or emotions, causing distortions in perception to align with self-interest. Motivational bias influences how individuals perceive and attribute causes to events, often shaped by personal needs, goals, and self-esteem preservation. This bias can distort judgment, leading to inaccurate assessments of success, failure,...
456
Self-Discrepancy Theory02:45

Self-Discrepancy Theory

19.0K
One influential perspective on what motivates people's behavior is detailed in Tory Higgin's self-discrepancy theory (Higgins, 1987). He proposed that people hold disagreeing internal representations of themselves that lead to different emotional states.  
19.0K
Factors Affecting Perception01:25

Factors Affecting Perception

3.0K
Perception is influenced by perceptual set, context, motivation, and emotion. Perceptual set, or perceptual expectancy, refers to the tendency to perceive things in a particular way, influenced by previous experiences and expectations. This phenomenon affects the interpretation of stimuli, creating a set of mental tendencies and assumptions that impact sensory perceptions of sound, taste, touch, and sight.
An illustrative example of a perceptual set is the scenario where an airline pilot told...
3.0K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Contralateral delay activity as a marker of visual working memory capacity: A multi-site registered replication.

Cortex; a journal devoted to the study of the nervous system and behavior·2026
Same author

Event-related potentials reveal age-related differences in sensitivity to positive and negative feedback from social and nonsocial sources.

The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences·2026
Same author

Differential sensitivity to outcome valence reveals two classes of shift behaviour related to exploitation and exploration.

Canadian journal of experimental psychology = Revue canadienne de psychologie experimentale·2026
Same author

Psychology and Aging at 40: Continuity and growth.

Psychology and aging·2025
Same author

Charitable and memorable? Probing the effects of prosocial decisions on face memory in younger and older adults.

Neuropsychology, development, and cognition. Section B, Aging, neuropsychology and cognition·2025
Same author

Early cortical processing of coherent vs. non-coherent motion stimuli in younger and older adults: An event-related potential (ERP) study investigating visually induced vection.

Neuropsychologia·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 9, 2026

Measuring Attention and Visual Processing Speed by Model-based Analysis of Temporal-order Judgments
13:00

Measuring Attention and Visual Processing Speed by Model-based Analysis of Temporal-order Judgments

Published on: January 23, 2017

10.4K

Age differences in gain- and loss-motivated attention.

Ryan S Williams1, Anna Lena Biel1, Benjamin J Dyson1

  • 1Ryerson University, 350 Victoria St, Toronto, ON M5B 2K3, Canada.

Brain and Cognition
|December 31, 2016
PubMed
Summary

Older adults show diminished norepinephrine (NE) responses to negative stimuli, unlike younger adults. Their arousal is linked to gains, not losses, suggesting age-related shifts in motivation and attention.

Keywords:
AgingAlertingAttention Network TestIncentivesPhasic arousal

More Related Videos

Measurement of Neurophysiological Signals of Ignoring and Attending Processes in Attention Control
09:37

Measurement of Neurophysiological Signals of Ignoring and Attending Processes in Attention Control

Published on: July 5, 2015

9.6K
Touchscreen Sustained Attention Task SAT for Rats
09:31

Touchscreen Sustained Attention Task SAT for Rats

Published on: September 15, 2017

10.4K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Mar 9, 2026

Measuring Attention and Visual Processing Speed by Model-based Analysis of Temporal-order Judgments
13:00

Measuring Attention and Visual Processing Speed by Model-based Analysis of Temporal-order Judgments

Published on: January 23, 2017

10.4K
Measurement of Neurophysiological Signals of Ignoring and Attending Processes in Attention Control
09:37

Measurement of Neurophysiological Signals of Ignoring and Attending Processes in Attention Control

Published on: July 5, 2015

9.6K
Touchscreen Sustained Attention Task SAT for Rats
09:31

Touchscreen Sustained Attention Task SAT for Rats

Published on: September 15, 2017

10.4K

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Gerontology

Background:

  • Adaptive gain theory posits norepinephrine (NE) release signals task utility.
  • Aging alters motivation, with older adults prioritizing emotion regulation and positive information (Socioemotional Selectivity Theory).
  • This suggests potential age-related differences in NE response to threat.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate age-related differences in phasic norepinephrine release during incentive-guided attention.
  • To examine how gain and loss incentives affect attentional alerting in younger and older adults.
  • To explore the relationship between arousal, incentive sensitivity, and age.

Main Methods:

  • Participants: Younger adults (18-34 years) and older adults (60-82 years).
  • Task: Modified Attention Network Test (ANT) with incentive manipulation (gain and loss).
  • Measures: Behavioral index of attentional alerting as a marker of phasic arousal.

Main Results:

  • Younger adults' attentional alerting correlated with both gain and loss incentive effects.
  • Older adults' attentional alerting correlated with gain incentives only, not loss incentives.
  • Phasic arousal and incentive sensitivity showed age-specific patterns.

Conclusions:

  • Age-related differences exist in the neural mechanisms of attention and motivation.
  • Phasic norepinephrine activity in older adults may be specifically linked to approach-oriented motivation (gains).
  • Findings highlight the impact of motivational shifts on cognitive function across the lifespan.