Grady Cheryl L, Hongwanishkul Donaya, Keightley Michelle, Lee Wendy, Hasher Lynn
Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Neuropsychology. 2007 May;21(3):371-80. doi: 10.1037/0894-4105.21.3.371.
Prior studies of emotion suggest that young adults should have enhanced memory for negative faces and that this enhancement should be reduced in older adults. Several studies have not shown these effects but were conducted with procedures different from those used with other emotional stimuli. In this study, researchers examined age differences in recognition of faces with emotional or neutral expressions, using trial-unique stimuli, as is typically done with other types of emotional stimuli. They also assessed the influence of personality traits and mood on memory. Enhanced recognition for negative faces was found in young adults but not in older adults. Recognition of faces was not influenced by mood or personality traits in young adults, but lower levels of extraversion and better emotional sensitivity predicted better negative face memory in older adults. These results suggest that negative expressions enhance memory for faces in young adults, as negative valence enhances memory for words and scenes. This enhancement is absent in older adults, but memory for emotional faces is modulated in older adults by personality traits that are relevant to emotional processing.
先前关于情绪的研究表明，年轻人对负面面孔的记忆应该会增强，而这种增强在老年人中应该会减弱。有几项研究并未显示出这些效应，但所采用的程序与用于其他情绪刺激的程序不同。在本研究中，研究人员使用每次试验都不同的刺激，如同通常对其他类型情绪刺激所做的那样，考察了对带有情绪或中性表情面孔识别的年龄差异。他们还评估了人格特质和情绪对记忆的影响。研究发现，年轻人对负面面孔的识别增强，而老年人则不然。年轻人对面孔的识别不受情绪或人格特质影响，但外向性水平较低和情绪敏感性较高预示着老年人对负面面孔的记忆更好。这些结果表明，负面表情会增强年轻人对面孔的记忆，正如负性效价会增强对单词和场景的记忆一样。老年人不存在这种增强，但老年人对情绪面孔的记忆会受到与情绪加工相关人格特质的调节。
