INTRODUCTION Various cognitive processes such as memory and executive functions decline with age. Many studies have shown that older are more susceptible to distractions and interferences by irrelevant information. According to these findings, previous research has shown that change blindness increases with age. However, no study had examined in older people change detection for emotional stimuli. The aim of the current study was to investigate the differences between Younger and Older in the change blindness for the Emotional Stimuli by using an Emotional Flicker Task. METHOD Forty-two volunteers participated to the experiment. They were divided into two groups: Younger (N=21; 8Female, 13Male, Age:23,19; DS:2,56 ) and Older (N=21; 8Female, 13Male, Age:63,66; DS:7,31). In the Emotional Flicker Task, on each trial, an original and modified version of a picture alternated repeatedly (240-ms display time), separated by a grey screen (80 ms), until the participants pressed the space bar to indicate they had detected the change. The change can be of Marginal (MA) or Central interest (CE). The images, selected from the International Affective Picture System, were characterized by Emotional Valence: Positive (POS), Negative (NEG), or Neutral (NEU). RESULTS An ANOVA Group (Older, Younger) x Change Type (CE, MA) x Valence (POS, NEG, NEU) on Response Time (RT) revealed a significant effect of: Group (F1,40=95,49; p<0,001; pη2=0,70), Younger were faster than Older; Change Type (F1,40=246,26; p<0,001; pη2=0,86), CE were identified quicker then MA; Valence (F2,80=4,23; p=0,02; pη2=0,09); RT were faster in both NEG and POS than in NEU. The Group x Change Type interaction (F1,40=55,63; p<0,001; pη2=0,5) revealed that Younger were more faster than Older in MA (p<0,001); while the Group x Valence (F2,80=4,10; p=0,02; pη2=0,09) interaction showed that Younger were more faster than Older in all emotional conditions (NEG, NEU, POS). The ANOVA on Accuracy confirmed the results found with RT, although the Group x Valence (F2,80=3,51; p=0,03; pη2=0,08) interaction revealed a greater accuracy in NEU of the Older compared to the Younger. DISCUSSION Findings of this study confirm that change in Emotional-Related stimuli is perceived faster by Younger than Older. These results were not confirmed when accuracy was considered. In this case, Older showed a better performance than Younger, but only when the images were neutral. More studies are necessary to analyse this relation.

Change Blindness for Emotional Stimuli: Differences between Younger and Adults / Forte, Giuseppe; Casagrande, Maria. - STAMPA. - (2017). (Intervento presentato al convegno The Trieste Symposium on Perception and Cognition tenutosi a Trieste).

Change Blindness for Emotional Stimuli: Differences between Younger and Adults

Giuseppe Forte
;
Maria Casagrande
2017

Abstract

INTRODUCTION Various cognitive processes such as memory and executive functions decline with age. Many studies have shown that older are more susceptible to distractions and interferences by irrelevant information. According to these findings, previous research has shown that change blindness increases with age. However, no study had examined in older people change detection for emotional stimuli. The aim of the current study was to investigate the differences between Younger and Older in the change blindness for the Emotional Stimuli by using an Emotional Flicker Task. METHOD Forty-two volunteers participated to the experiment. They were divided into two groups: Younger (N=21; 8Female, 13Male, Age:23,19; DS:2,56 ) and Older (N=21; 8Female, 13Male, Age:63,66; DS:7,31). In the Emotional Flicker Task, on each trial, an original and modified version of a picture alternated repeatedly (240-ms display time), separated by a grey screen (80 ms), until the participants pressed the space bar to indicate they had detected the change. The change can be of Marginal (MA) or Central interest (CE). The images, selected from the International Affective Picture System, were characterized by Emotional Valence: Positive (POS), Negative (NEG), or Neutral (NEU). RESULTS An ANOVA Group (Older, Younger) x Change Type (CE, MA) x Valence (POS, NEG, NEU) on Response Time (RT) revealed a significant effect of: Group (F1,40=95,49; p<0,001; pη2=0,70), Younger were faster than Older; Change Type (F1,40=246,26; p<0,001; pη2=0,86), CE were identified quicker then MA; Valence (F2,80=4,23; p=0,02; pη2=0,09); RT were faster in both NEG and POS than in NEU. The Group x Change Type interaction (F1,40=55,63; p<0,001; pη2=0,5) revealed that Younger were more faster than Older in MA (p<0,001); while the Group x Valence (F2,80=4,10; p=0,02; pη2=0,09) interaction showed that Younger were more faster than Older in all emotional conditions (NEG, NEU, POS). The ANOVA on Accuracy confirmed the results found with RT, although the Group x Valence (F2,80=3,51; p=0,03; pη2=0,08) interaction revealed a greater accuracy in NEU of the Older compared to the Younger. DISCUSSION Findings of this study confirm that change in Emotional-Related stimuli is perceived faster by Younger than Older. These results were not confirmed when accuracy was considered. In this case, Older showed a better performance than Younger, but only when the images were neutral. More studies are necessary to analyse this relation.
2017
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11573/1120995
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