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Attentional bias for emotional information in older adults: the role of emotion and future time perspective

Ineke Demeyer (UGent) and Rudi De Raedt (UGent)
(2013) PLOS ONE. 8(6).
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Organization
Abstract
Objectives: Research suggests that older adults display a positivity bias at the level of information processing. However, because studies investigating attentional bias for emotional information in older adults have produced mixed findings, research identifying inter-individual differences that may explain these inconsistent results is necessary. Therefore, we investigated whether mood, symptoms of depression, symptoms of anxiety and future time perspective are related to attentional bias in older adults. Method: Thirty-seven healthy older adults and 25 healthy middle-aged adults completed questionnaires to assess mood, symptoms of depression, symptoms of anxiety and future time perspective. Attentional bias towards happy, sad and neutral information was measured using a modified exogenous cueing paradigm with long cue presentations, to measure maintained attention versus avoidance of emotional stimuli. Results: Older adults showed attentional avoidance for all emotional faces, whereas no attentional biases were found in the middle-aged group. Moreover, in the older adult group, avoidance for negative information was related to anxiety. Future time perspective was unrelated to attentional bias. Discussion: These findings suggest that anxiety may lead to inter-individual differences in attentional bias in older adults, and that avoidance from negative information may be an emotion regulation strategy.
Keywords
ANXIETY, AGE-DIFFERENCES, MEMORY, VALIDATION, FACES, STIMULI, DEPRESSION, VISUAL-ATTENTION, SOCIAL PREFERENCES, NEGATIVE AFFECT

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Citation

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MLA
Demeyer, Ineke, and Rudi De Raedt. “Attentional Bias for Emotional Information in Older Adults: The Role of Emotion and Future Time Perspective.” PLOS ONE, vol. 8, no. 6, 2013.
APA
Demeyer, I., & De Raedt, R. (2013). Attentional bias for emotional information in older adults: the role of emotion and future time perspective. PLOS ONE, 8(6).
Chicago author-date
Demeyer, Ineke, and Rudi De Raedt. 2013. “Attentional Bias for Emotional Information in Older Adults: The Role of Emotion and Future Time Perspective.” PLOS ONE 8 (6).
Chicago author-date (all authors)
Demeyer, Ineke, and Rudi De Raedt. 2013. “Attentional Bias for Emotional Information in Older Adults: The Role of Emotion and Future Time Perspective.” PLOS ONE 8 (6).
Vancouver
1.
Demeyer I, De Raedt R. Attentional bias for emotional information in older adults: the role of emotion and future time perspective. PLOS ONE. 2013;8(6).
IEEE
[1]
I. Demeyer and R. De Raedt, “Attentional bias for emotional information in older adults: the role of emotion and future time perspective,” PLOS ONE, vol. 8, no. 6, 2013.
@article{4104161,
  abstract     = {{Objectives: Research suggests that older adults display a positivity bias at the level of information processing. However, because studies investigating attentional bias for emotional information in older adults have produced mixed findings, research identifying inter-individual differences that may explain these inconsistent results is necessary. Therefore, we investigated whether mood, symptoms of depression, symptoms of anxiety and future time perspective are related to attentional bias in older adults. Method: Thirty-seven healthy older adults and 25 healthy middle-aged adults completed questionnaires to assess mood, symptoms of depression, symptoms of anxiety and future time perspective. Attentional bias towards happy, sad and neutral information was measured using a modified exogenous cueing paradigm with long cue presentations, to measure maintained attention versus avoidance of emotional stimuli. Results: Older adults showed attentional avoidance for all emotional faces, whereas no attentional biases were found in the middle-aged group. Moreover, in the older adult group, avoidance for negative information was related to anxiety. Future time perspective was unrelated to attentional bias. Discussion: These findings suggest that anxiety may lead to inter-individual differences in attentional bias in older adults, and that avoidance from negative information may be an emotion regulation strategy.}},
  articleno    = {{e65429}},
  author       = {{Demeyer, Ineke and De Raedt, Rudi}},
  issn         = {{1932-6203}},
  journal      = {{PLOS ONE}},
  keywords     = {{ANXIETY,AGE-DIFFERENCES,MEMORY,VALIDATION,FACES,STIMULI,DEPRESSION,VISUAL-ATTENTION,SOCIAL PREFERENCES,NEGATIVE AFFECT}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{6}},
  pages        = {{7}},
  title        = {{Attentional bias for emotional information in older adults: the role of emotion and future time perspective}},
  volume       = {{8}},
  year         = {{2013}},
}

Web of Science
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