aging and mixed emotions: the view from emotion regulation research
Derek M. Isaacowitz(with Kimberly Livingstone and Molly
Sands)Northeastern University
October 2015Mixed Emotions Conference, Ann Arbor
supported by NIA grants R01 AG048731 and R21 AG044961
we don’t study mixed emotional experience per se…
we don’t study mixed emotional experience per se…
but instead focus on mixed emotional environments and their influence on behavior
how do older adults say they feel?
Mroczek & Kolarz, 1998
positive affect negative affect
some older adults can regulate out of bad moods quite rapidly
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Me
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Slid
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Rating Interval
Mood Change Over Time
OA Rapid Regulators N = 17
OA Non-Regulators N = 17
YA Rapid Regulators N = 8
YA Non-Regulators N = 17
Larcom & Isaacowitz, 2009, JG:PS
how do older adults achieve this relatively positive affective experience?
how do older adults achieve this relatively positive affective experience?
we draw on two literatures: 1.socioemotional selectivity theory 2.process model of emotion regulation
these approaches can guide and focus hypothesis-testing about age differences in pathways to feeling good
conceptual framework: why do older adults feel good? SST and positivity effects
(Carstensen & Mikels, 2005)
limited time
perspective
prioritize emotional
goals
positivity in
processing
feeling good
mixed emotional environments
this framework links goals/motivation with information processing, may be relevant for emotion regulation
goals – information processing – emotion regulation links may vary by age
environments with mixed positive and negative stimuli should activate age differences in information processing, and thus in mood
process model of emotion regulation
Situation Selection
Situation Modification
Attentional Deployment
Cognitive Change
Response Modification
(Gross & Thompson, 2007)
process model of emotion regulation
Situation Selection
Situation Modification
Attentional Deployment
Cognitive Change
Response Modification
(Gross & Thompson, 2007)
SST older adults may prefer emotion regulation strategies that rely on more positive information processing
preference vs. effectiveness
Isaacowitz & Blanchard-Fields (2012). Perspectives on Psychological Science.
positivity in attention deployment for emotion regulation?older adults prefer to look more at
positive and less at negative stimuli, and this is effective for some older adults in helping them feel good (see Isaacowitz, 2012 for summary)
today will focus on more recent work testing other regulatory strategies
studying early regulatory strategies
situation selection and situation modification: array of positive and negative (and neutral) information
can also try to manipulate goals and see if goal states change behavior as predicted by SST
situation selection
do older adults choose more positive situations?
some theories (e.g.,SAVI) suggest they should – earlier regulation is easier/better for older adults
Negative
NeutralPositive
affective environment (AE)
situation selection results using AE
first studies: no main effect of age using behavioral
measures (Rovenpor et al., 2014)
no main effect of age using mobile eye tracking (Isaacowitz et al., 2015)
overall, mood tracks choices (choose positive feel better; choose negative feel worse); doesn’t vary by age
recent work: mobile tracking plus mood induction100 younger adults (18-25, Mage =20.26)
100 middle-aged adults (35-59, Mage = 49.18)
100 older adults (60-88, Mage = 70.37)
just view (JV): “Your goal is to choose whatever is interesting to you.”
regulate (Reg): “Your goal is to try to minimize your negative emotions or feelings.”
negative or positive mood induction (music+pictures)
choice results: MAs differ (regardless of mood)
different approach: tv study
tv study: valence
F(2,58) = 13.02, p < .001
*
*
tv study: arousal
F(2, 58) = 3.42, p = .036
* *
age & goals study: situation selection and situation modification70 younger adults (17-24, Mage = 19.26)
76 older adults (60-89, Mage = 70.64)
just view (JV): “Your goal is to choose whatever is interesting to you.”
regulate (Reg): “Your goal is to try to minimize your negative emotions or feelings.”
situation selection: age x goal interaction
Livingstone & Isaacowitz (2015) SPPS
Fast Forward
Positive
Negative
situation modification paradigm
Negative
Negative
Positive
Livingstone & Isaacowitz (2015) SPPS
situation modification: age X valence interaction
Livingstone & Isaacowitz (2015) SPPS
thoughts about mixed emotions
focused on mixed emotion environments (rather than mood as DV); people choose a mix
some environments lead to no age differences in behavior, other environments do: older adults may prefer neutral as well as low-arousal (is neutral more positive for OAs?)
situation modification so far shows more “positivity”
midlife seems critical
concluding thoughts
age differences are likely more pronounced for some aspects of interacting with the environment than others
may be relatively fewer age differences in what people find interesting to engage with, but greater differences in how they engage with it
neutral may be as important as positive/negative; arousal matters
all of this would lead to more nuances in affective experience: people actively create mixed experiences