Attenuating age-related learning deficits: emotional valenced feedback interacts with task complexity

Abstract

Previous research reveals that older adults sometimes show enhanced processing of emotionally positive stimuli relative to negative stimuli, but that this positivity bias reverses to become a negativity bias when cognitive control resources are less available. In this study, we test the hypothesis that emotionally positive feedback will attenuate well-established age-related deficits in rule learning whereas emotionally negative feedback will amplify age deficits-but that this pattern will reverse when the task involves a high cognitive load. Experiment 1 used emotional face feedback and revealed an interaction among age, valence of the feedback, and task load. When the task placed minimal load on cognitive control resources, happy-face feedback attenuated age-related deficits in initial rule learning and angry-face feedback led to age-related deficits in initial rule learning and set shifting. However, when the task placed a high load on cognitive control resources, we found that angry-face feedback attenuated age-related deficits in initial rule learning and set shifting whereas happy-face feedback led to age-related deficits in initial rule learning and set shifting. Experiment 2 used less emotional point feedback and revealed age-related deficits in initial rule learning and set shifting under low and high cognitive load for point-gain and point-loss conditions. The research presented here demonstrates that emotional feedback can attenuate age-related learning deficits-but only positive feedback for tasks with a low cognitive load and negative feedback for tasks with high cognitive load.

Figure 1

Screen shots from the happy and angry-face-feedback conditions from the low cognitive load and the high-cognitive-load conditions.

Figure 2

Experiment 1: a) Proportion correct for older and younger adults for the happy- and angry-face-feedback conditions under low cognitive load and high cognitive load, b) Number of trials to learn the first rule for older and younger adults for the happy- and angry-face-feedback conditions under low cognitive load and high cognitive load, c) Number of trials to learn the second rule for older and younger adults for the happy- and angry-face-feedback conditions under low cognitive load and high cognitive load. Standard error bars are included.

Figure 3

Screen shots from the point-gain- and point-loss-feedback conditions from the low-cognitive-load and high-cognitive-load conditions.

Figure 4

Experiment 2: a) Proportion correct for older and younger adults for the point-gain- and point-loss-feedback conditions under low cognitive load and high cognitive load, b) Number of trials to learn the first rule for older and younger adults for the point-gain- and point-loss-feedback conditions under low cognitive load and high cognitive load, c) Number of trials to learn the second rule for older and younger adults for the point-gain- and point-loss-feedback conditions under low cognitive load and high cognitive load. Standard error bars are included.