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

Aging01:26

Aging

22
Aging is a complex biological phenomenon influenced by various processes that affect cellular and systemic functions. Several prominent theories attempt to explain its mechanisms, highlighting cellular limitations, oxidative damage, and hormonal changes as central factors in aging.
Cellular Clock Theory
The cellular clock theory posits that the human lifespan is closely tied to the finite capacity of cells to divide, a phenomenon governed by telomeres, which are protective caps at the ends of...
22
Role of Neurotransmitters in Memory01:23

Role of Neurotransmitters in Memory

292
Neurotransmitters are integral to the brain's communication system, enabling neurons to transmit signals across synapses. This chemical exchange underpins various cognitive functions, including memory processes. The role of neurotransmitters in memory is multifaceted, influencing the encoding, consolidation, and retrieval of memories through their action on different neural circuits.
 Glutamate and Synaptic Plasticity
Glutamate, the brain's main excitatory neurotransmitter, is...
292
Cognitive Development During Adulthood01:30

Cognitive Development During Adulthood

22
Cognitive development continues throughout adulthood, undergoing significant shifts across early, middle, and late stages. Individual transition occurs from adolescent idealism to pragmatic and adaptable thinking in early adulthood. During this period, individuals learn to integrate personal beliefs with the recognition that other perspectives are equally valid. Exposure to the complexities of modern society, diverse experiences, and higher education contribute to this adaptive thought process,...
22
Interference and Decay01:16

Interference and Decay

68
Forgetting is a complex cognitive phenomenon influenced by several factors, among which interference and decay are particularly prominent. These processes explain why individuals often struggle to retrieve specific information from memory, leading to lapses in recall that can be observed in everyday situations.
Interference occurs when competing memories hinder the retrieval of particular information. It can be classified into two types: proactive and retroactive interference. Proactive...
68
Understanding Memory01:19

Understanding Memory

179
Memory is the retention of information or experiences over time, facilitated through three main processes: encoding, storage, and retrieval. Encoding is the process of inputting information into the memory system. For instance, when listening to a lecture, watching a play, reading a book, or having a conversation, the brain is actively encoding information. This initial stage involves transforming sensory input into a form that can be processed and stored by the brain. Various factors, such as...
179
Forgetting01:21

Forgetting

32
Forgetting is an intrinsic aspect of human memory, characterized by the gradual loss or inaccessibility of information over time. Hermann Ebbinghaus, a pioneering psychologist, extensively studied this phenomenon and formulated the forgetting curve. This curve illustrates that memory loss occurs rapidly immediately after learning and then decelerates over time. Several mechanisms contribute to forgetting, including encoding failure, storage decay, retrieval failure, and interference.
Encoding...
32

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Involvement of Executive Functions in Idiom Comprehension: A Life-Span Perspective.

Brain sciences·2024
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 9, 2025

Highlighting and Reducing the Impact of Negative Aging Stereotypes During Older Adults' Cognitive Testing
06:58

Highlighting and Reducing the Impact of Negative Aging Stereotypes During Older Adults' Cognitive Testing

Published on: January 24, 2020

7.2K

Why humor's positive effect on memory disappears with aging.

Audrey Noël1, Laurence Picard2

  • 1Laboratoire de Psychologie : Cognition, Comportement, Communication, Universite de Rennes.

Emotion (Washington, D.C.)
|May 5, 2025
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Humor benefits memory in young adults, but this effect diminishes in older adults. Aging impairs memory for humorous content due to incongruity and associative deficits.

More Related Videos

Assessment of Age-related Changes in Cognitive Functions Using EmoCogMeter, a Novel Tablet-computer Based Approach
10:13

Assessment of Age-related Changes in Cognitive Functions Using EmoCogMeter, a Novel Tablet-computer Based Approach

Published on: February 14, 2014

13.6K
An Experimental Paradigm for Measuring the Effects of Ageing on Sentence Processing
04:30

An Experimental Paradigm for Measuring the Effects of Ageing on Sentence Processing

Published on: October 25, 2019

5.6K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 9, 2025

Highlighting and Reducing the Impact of Negative Aging Stereotypes During Older Adults' Cognitive Testing
06:58

Highlighting and Reducing the Impact of Negative Aging Stereotypes During Older Adults' Cognitive Testing

Published on: January 24, 2020

7.2K
Assessment of Age-related Changes in Cognitive Functions Using EmoCogMeter, a Novel Tablet-computer Based Approach
10:13

Assessment of Age-related Changes in Cognitive Functions Using EmoCogMeter, a Novel Tablet-computer Based Approach

Published on: February 14, 2014

13.6K
An Experimental Paradigm for Measuring the Effects of Ageing on Sentence Processing
04:30

An Experimental Paradigm for Measuring the Effects of Ageing on Sentence Processing

Published on: October 25, 2019

5.6K

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Neuroscience of Aging
  • Memory Research

Background:

  • Humor is known to enhance memory recall in younger populations.
  • Older adults tend to process positive information favorably and appreciate humor.
  • The impact of humor on memory in aging individuals remains under-explored.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether the memory-enhancing effects of humor extend to older adults.
  • To examine the underlying mechanisms, including incongruity and associative memory, contributing to humor's effect on memory in aging.

Main Methods:

  • Two studies compared memory recall of humorous versus neutral stimuli in younger and older adults.
  • Study 2 controlled for incongruity by including incongruous and neutral stimuli alongside humorous ones.
  • Memory performance was assessed using free and cued recall tasks.

Main Results:

  • Younger adults showed improved recall for humorous content, consistent with prior research.
  • Older adults did not benefit from humor; a detrimental effect was observed in cued recall.
  • When incongruity was controlled, older adults' memory was negatively impacted by incongruous stimuli, not humor itself, suggesting associative memory deficits.

Conclusions:

  • The positive effect of humor on memory does not persist into older age.
  • Incongruity within humorous stimuli, coupled with age-related associative memory impairments, explains the lack of memory benefit in older adults.
  • Humor's impact on memory is context-dependent and influenced by cognitive aging processes.