Looking on the Bright Side: Aging and the Impact of Emotional Future Simulation on Subsequent Memory.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

When younger adults simulated positive future events, subsequent memory is positively biased. In the current studies, we explore age-related changes in the impact of emotional future simulation on subsequent memory.

Methods

In Experiment 1, younger and older adults simulated emotional future events before learning the hypothetical outcome of each event via narratives. Memory was assessed for emotional details contained in those narratives. In Experiment 2, a shorter temporal delay between simulation and narrative encoding was used to reduce decay of simulation memory over time.

Results

Future simulation did not bias subsequent memory for older adults in Experiment 1. However, older adults performed similar to younger adults in Experiment 2, with more libera

SUBMITTER: Devitt AL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7566964 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature