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Updated: May 14, 2026
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An Experimental Paradigm for Measuring the Effects of Ageing on Sentence Processing
Published on: October 25, 2019
The aging effect in deeper-level processing of emotion words
Meng Jiang1, Daiyue Qu2, Qi Luo2
1College of Language Intelligence (College of General Education)/Language & Brain Research Center, Sichuan International Studies University, Chongqing, China; Chongqing Shapingba District International Joint Institute of Brain Computer Language Interface, Chongqing, China.
Acta Psychologica
|May 12, 2026
Summary
Older adults show slower processing speed and a stronger advantage for processing positivity words compared to younger adults, indicating an aging effect on emotion word processing.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience of Aging
- Linguistics
Background:
- The cognitive abilities of older adults, particularly in processing emotional language, are not fully understood.
- Existing research presents mixed findings on age-related changes in emotion word processing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether older adults experience age-related declines in processing emotion words.
- To examine the impact of word valence (positive/negative) and appraisal type (sensory/intrinsic) on emotion word processing across age groups.
Main Methods:
- A valence judgment task was used to assess emotion word processing.
- Participants included older and younger adults.
- Emotion words were categorized by appraisal type (sensory-quality, intrinsic-quality) and matched for valence (positive, negative).
Main Results:
- Older adults demonstrated a general slowing in processing speed compared to younger adults.
- A significant processing advantage for positivity words was observed in older adults relative to younger adults.
- The study identified an aging effect in the speed and valence-specific processing of emotion words.
Conclusions:
- Aging affects the speed of emotion word processing.
- Older adults exhibit a heightened sensitivity or advantage towards processing positive emotion words.
- These findings contribute to understanding cognitive aging and emotional processing in later life.
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