Temporal dynamics of age differences in perceptual load effects on attention to negative emotional distractors

Age-related differences in how perceptual load affects attentional resource allocation toward negative emotional stimuli remain unclear. This study aims to address this issue using the random dot kinematograms (RDKs) paradigm. By adjusting the levels of perceptual load, we examined how different age groups were influenced by distractors with neutral and negative emotional valences. To further explore the temporal dynamics of the influence, we controlled the time interval between the primary task and the distracting stimuli. This enabled us to observe variations in participants' performance at different time points following the presentation of the distractors. The results demonstrated that attentional resource allocation in both younger and older adults was influenced by the interplay of emotional distractors and perceptual load. In terms of the temporal dynamics of the results, during the early stage of processing, older adults were less affected by emotional distractors and perceptual load compared to younger adults. In the later stages, perceptual load modulated the allocation of attentional resources to negative emotional distractors differently across age groups. Older adults were more influenced by negative emotional distractors under high load conditions, whereas younger adults were more affected under low load conditions. These findings highlight distinct temporal processing patterns in older adults, contributing to our understanding of cognitive aging and its implications for attentional resource management.