Cross-sectional age differences in fading affect bias: A latent change score model approach

The fading affect bias (FAB) names the phenomenon that the affect intensity of negative autobiographical memories (AMs) fades more rapidly and to a greater extent from event occurrence to recall than the affect intensity of positive AMs. The goal of the present study was to examine whether and how the magnitude of the FAB varies with participant age, and whether these potential age effects could be explained by differences in the time elapsed since the events or their initial affect intensity. Analyses were based on 2,062 adults (aged 18-96 years; 60.67% women; 75.46% with a university entrance diploma; 95.68% with German as their mother tongue), who reported AMs of three positive and three negative events in a free recall procedure. Participants rated the affect intensity of each AM retrospectively from the perspective of event occurrence and from the momentary perspective of event recall. Latent change score models were used to operationalize and predict latent changes in AMs' positive and negative affect intensity as well as a latent overall FAB score. The magnitude of the FAB showed a U-shaped function across age, with a low point at age 40 and a maximum at the oldest age of the sample. After including the time since event and initial affect intensity, the FAB increased even more at older ages. The present findings, which extend previous research on age differences in the FAB, largely support predictions derived from the socioemotional selectivity theory and the strength and vulnerability integration model. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).