Gavazzeni Joachim, Wiens Stefan, Fischer Håkan
Aging Research Center, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
Psychophysiology. 2008 Jan;45(1):148-51. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-8986.2007.00596.x. Epub 2007 Sep 10.
Affective processing and emotional experience may change with age. Because findings of age differences in affective experiences are mixed even in studies using standardized stimuli, this study assessed age differences along gradual increases in negative arousal. Younger (20-30 years) and older (70-80 years) healthy adults (n=78) viewed 110 neutral to negative pictures (IAPS) while intensity ratings and electrodermal activity were recorded. Results showed that age had opposite effects on intensity ratings and electrodermal activity over gradual increases in normative arousal. Whereas older adults showed greater increases in intensity ratings than younger adults, they showed attenuated electrodermal activity, especially at high negative arousal. Because self-reports of arousal capture various aspects of affective processes (e.g., physiological changes as well as experience), effects of age may vary for these different aspects.
情感加工和情感体验可能会随着年龄的增长而发生变化。由于即使在使用标准化刺激的研究中，情感体验的年龄差异研究结果也存在分歧，因此本研究评估了随着负面唤醒逐渐增加的年龄差异。年轻（20 - 30岁）和年长（70 - 80岁）的健康成年人（n = 78）观看了110张从中性到负面的图片（国际情感图片系统），同时记录强度评分和皮肤电活动。结果表明，随着标准唤醒的逐渐增加，年龄对强度评分和皮肤电活动有相反的影响。与年轻成年人相比，年长成年人的强度评分增加幅度更大，但他们的皮肤电活动减弱，尤其是在高负面唤醒时。由于唤醒的自我报告涵盖了情感过程的各个方面（例如，生理变化以及体验），年龄对这些不同方面的影响可能会有所不同。
