Final Flashcards
emotional memory enhancement
emotionally valanced information tends to be better recalled than neutral information independent of positive or negative valence, type of memory recall, and nature of the stimuli
emotional memory enhancement is assumed to rely on which brain systems
the limbic system - amygdala and hippocampus, but especially the amygdala (twofold influence on memory)
compared to younger adults, older adults tend to better remember ___ information
positive information
possible explanations for EME
- emotional items more distinct than neutral ones
- emotional items organized more easily
- emotional items forgotten at a lower rate
socioemotional selectivity theory (SST)
since older adults have less time to live they prioritize emotional wellbeing
degradation hypothesis of EME
positive information is less cognitively demanding, due to age related impairments in the amygdala
EME is not always observed in AD patients - when does it appear
when the memory test is more recollective like recall tasks opposed to recognition tasks
because the SST assumes that positivity bias is the result of active processes, this theory predicts that those with ______ functioning will demonstrate more of a positivity bias
better cognitive functioning
positivity bias study wanted to determine if positivity bias in older adults was explained by the motivation hypothesis (SST) or the degradation hypothesis. How did they test this
comparing immediate versus delayed recall of emotional memory performance in young adults, old adults, very old adults, and AD patients
what did the positivity bias study suspect the results to be if the SST theory was correct
if the motivational SST theory was correct, they predicted that old and very old adults (those who were supposed to be cognitively spared/functioning) would demonstrate a larger positivity bias than AD patients, and positivity bias would be especially prevalent in delayed retrieval
what did the positivity bias study suspect the results would be if the degradation theory was correct
AD patients and possibly very old adults would demonstrate a greater positivity bias, especially in immediate recall
what were the results of immediate recall in the positivity bias study
both positive and negative words were remembered best, indicating that positivity bias does not manifest for short-term recall
what were the results of the delayed recall test in the positivity bias study
positivity bias was exhibited in both the young adults and both older adult groups, but not in the AD patients - thus suggesting that positivity bias is the result of cognitive control/ SST
what were the results of differing coding instruction with regards to the positivity bias study
encoding restrictions did not seem to affect positivity bias
what were the results of the recognition task in the positivity bias study
positivity bias was displayed in both very old adults and AD patients, but in old adults positivity bias was erased with semantic processing instructions. the opposite affect was shown for AD patients, where they only showed positivity bias when the semantic processing instruction was given
the results of the positivity bias study indicated that positivity bias is most likely to be observed when
in those with good cognitive functioning, after long retention delay, and without encoding constraints
what are some factors that make teens more likely to gravitate towards substance abuse
peer influence, need for immediate gratifications, underdeveloped impulse control, maladaptove coping mechanisms
interplay between race/culture and substance abuse
indigenous peoples, african americans, people of mixed ethnic backgrounds, non-hispanic whites may be less likely to abuse substances IF they have strong cultural ties
which studies are best designed to assess the effects of substance abuse on adolescents
large-scale prospective neuroimmaging studies
what was the the go/no go test used for in the adolescents substance abuse study
to test impulsivity
what was the wheel of fortune task used for in the substance abuses study
reward/loss probabilities
examples of universal drug prevention plans
ones that want to prevent substance abuse across an entire population. educational/public awareness campaigns, workshops
selective drug prevention plans
targets individuals or groups with specific risk factors - early intervention programs, school programs for at risk youth
indicated drug prevention
for individuals already displaying signs or symptoms of drug abuse
why are negative events the focus of psychological studies
negative events are typically more evolutionarily important for the regulation of behaviour
how did children and adults differ in their rating of their emotional state and valence compared to that of a protagonist in the stories they read
both children and adults rated the protagonist’s emotions as more intense and negative than their own but children tended to rate themselves as more neutral wheras adults rated themselves as more closely matching the protagonist
understanding narratives requires the development of
perspective taking and theory of mind
children are able to infer emotional valence by age ____ with increasing accuracy with increasing age, and are able to infer emotional states by age ___
5, 10
the reading task for emotional valence tested which 10 emotional state
sadness, jealousy, anger, anxiety, embarrassment, disgust, guilt, despair, pride, and happiness
what was the unit of measurement for reading times in the emotional valence study
milliseconds per syllable
why did the emotional valence reading study include two positive emotions (happiness and pride)
as a manipulation check to see if the kids could correctly identify emotional states as positive or negative
what were the two age groups in the emotional valence reading study
fifth graders and young adults
explain the results of the emotional valence and narratives study
negatively valenced emotions were read faster in both age groups, but children slowed to read spillover sentences in the negatively valenced stories - suggesting they may need increased processing time to under stand the protagonists emotional state
list of secondary effects of social isolation on older adults
Depression (depressive symptoms increase with increased loneliness)
Alcoholism
Stress
Low-grade peripheral inflammation
Obesity, physiological aging, cancer, poor hearing, poor health, poor sleep quality
Dementia and Alzheimer (but is loneliness the result of these diseases, or a cause?)
