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Cognitive Control in Young and Older Adults: Does Mood Matter?
Linda Truong1, Kesaan Kandasamy1, Lixia Yang1
1Department of Psychology, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON M5B 2K3, Canada.
Brain Sciences
|January 21, 2022
Summary
Older adults can use proactive cognitive control, similar to young adults, especially when using face cues. Mood induction did not significantly alter cognitive control modes in either age group.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive psychology
- Neuroscience
- Aging research
Background:
- The dual mechanisms of control (DMC) framework distinguishes between proactive and reactive cognitive control.
- Younger adults typically favor proactive control, while older adults often rely on reactive control due to age-related working memory decline.
- The influence of mood on these age-related differences in cognitive control remains underexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of mood induction on proactive and reactive cognitive control modes in young and older adults.
- To compare cognitive control strategies across age groups using different cue types (letter vs. face).
- To determine if mood manipulation can modulate age-related differences in cognitive control.
Main Methods:
- Two experiments were conducted involving young (18-30 years) and older adults (65+ years).
- Participants underwent mood induction (positive, negative, or neutral) before completing cognitive tasks: a standard letter-cue task (Experiment 1) and a modified face-cue AX-CPT (Experiment 2).
- Cognitive control mode was assessed by analyzing behavioral responses, particularly reaction times.
Main Results:
- Experiment 1 confirmed typical age differences, with young adults using proactive control and older adults using reactive control.
- In Experiment 2, older adults demonstrated proactive control comparable to young adults in reaction time when using face cues.
- Mood induction generally had minimal effects on cognitive control strategies across both experiments and age groups.
Conclusions:
- Older adults possess the capacity for proactive cognitive control, particularly when presented with dichotomous face cues.
- Age-related differences in cognitive control may be influenced by task-specific factors, such as cue type, rather than solely by age.
- Mood induction does not appear to be a significant modulator of cognitive control modes in young or older adults within this paradigm.
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