Introduction:
Source memory represents the set of cognitive processes involved in recognizing the origin of information (Johnston, Hashtroudi & Lindsay, 1993). Many previous studies have been in favor of improving source memory with emotion, including among older people (Doerksen & Shimamura, 2001). Indeed, according to the results found, the improvement would come from an attention facilitated by the emotion, which would have the effect of increasing the organization processes in source memory.
In addition, a phenomenon of emotional regulation would be put in place very early in the development of the individual, and gain competence throughout life, allowing them to maintain a homeostasis while reducing the tension (so the negative affect).
Consequently, through this study, we would like to understand how emotions influence source recognition mechanisms during the development of the individual.
Hypothesis:
– First, source confusions should be higher for older participants than for younger participants. In addition, source confusions should be higher for middle-aged participants than younger participants.
– Second, for any population combined, source confusions should be higher for neutral items than items with emotional valence.
– Third, source confusions should be lower for negative items about younger subjects, whereas they should be lower for positive items regarding older subjects.
Method :
This study involved 60 participants, divided into three equivalent groups.
– The first group entitled “Young”, consisted of 10 women and 10 men of on average 23 years of age.
– The second group, called “Middle Ages”, made up of 10 women and 10 men, of on average 50 years of age.
– The third group named “Elderly Person”, comprised of 12 women and 8 retired men, of on average 75 years of age.
–> In the incidental learning phase, the participants had to indicate the characteristic pleasantness or unpleasantness:
* of the photo shown on the computer
or
* of the mental representation they had of the word presented on the computer (10 positive pictures and positive words, 10 negative pictures and negative words 10 neutral pictures and neutral ).
–> One week apart, the recognition phase took place. A list of 84 words (including 60 pictures / words seen a week before) was presented and participants indicated if “yes” or “no” they recognized having studied the name presented to them.
When the answer was positive, they had to specify if this name had been presented alone and imagined or with a picture.
Results & Discussion:
– The first hypothesis is partially validated: although the decrease of the number of recognitions with the advancement in age can testify to a deficit of the episodic memory with the age, the increase of the errors of source is only found in the elderly population. Our results suggest that the middle-aged population is still spared from these source-related memory deficits, which are generally related to impaired frontal lobe function (Craik, Morris, Morris, & Loewen, 1990) and this alteration would only be initiated around the age of 65 (Raz, 2005), which could attempt to explain the partial validation of this hypothesis.
– Regarding to the second hypothesis, in the middle-aged and elderly population, source confusions are more important for items with negative valence than for neutral words. Young people are found with a greater number of source errors for neutral words. Then, the hypothesis is not validated. In order to explain these unexpected results, it is opportune to focus on the theory of dynamic integration (DIT: Labouvie-Vief, 2009).
-The third hypothesis can be validated. We observe that the effects of valence vary with age. Older people retain better the source of positive items as well as the middle-aged population, whereas young people retain better the source of negative words. This can be explained by the tendency to treat positive information more or to process negative information with the advancement in age (= effect of positivity) (Charles, 2010). With advancing age, we would have a greater perception of the time we have left. As a result, this form of positivity would be present in the information processing that surrounds them.
Key words : Source memory, lifespan, emotion, valence, young, elderly, about fifty
Words I have learned:
- Improvement = Amélioration
- Throughout = Tout au long
- Pleasantness = Plaisant
- Testify = Témoigner
- Surround = Entourer
Bibliography :
Charles, S. T. (2010). Strength and vulner- ability integration: A model of emotional well-being across adulthood. Psychological Bulletin, 136(6), 1068-1091.
Craik, F., Morris, L., Morris, R., & Loewen, E. (1990). Relations between source amnesia and frontal lobe functioning in older adults. Psychology and Aging, 5(1), 148-151.
Doerksen, S., & Shimamura, A. P. (2001). Source memory enhancement for emotional words. Emotion, 1(1), 5-11.
Johnson, M.K., Hashtroudi, S., & Lindsay, D.S. (1993). Source monitoring. Psychological Bulletin, 114(1), 3–28.
Labouvie-Vief, G. (2009). Cognition and equilibrium regulation in development and aging. Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience, 27(5), 551-565.
Raz, N. (2005). The aging brain observed in vivo: Differential changes and their modifiers. In R. Cabeza, L. Nyberg, & D. Park (Eds.), Cognitive neuroscience of aging (p. 19–57). New-York, E-U: Oxford University Press.