{"title":"Cross-sectional age differences in fading affect bias: A latent change score model approach.","authors":"Sophie Hoehne, Daniel Zimprich","doi":"10.1037/pag0000900","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The fading affect bias (FAB) names the phenomenon that the affect intensity of negative autobiographical memories (AMs) fades more rapidly and to a greater extent from event occurrence to recall than the affect intensity of positive AMs. The goal of the present study was to examine whether and how the magnitude of the FAB varies with participant age, and whether these potential age effects could be explained by differences in the time elapsed since the events or their initial affect intensity. Analyses were based on 2,062 adults (aged 18-96 years; 60.67% women; 75.46% with a university entrance diploma; 95.68% with German as their mother tongue), who reported AMs of three positive and three negative events in a free recall procedure. Participants rated the affect intensity of each AM retrospectively from the perspective of event occurrence and from the momentary perspective of event recall. Latent change score models were used to operationalize and predict latent changes in AMs' positive and negative affect intensity as well as a latent overall FAB score. The magnitude of the FAB showed a U-shaped function across age, with a low point at age 40 and a maximum at the oldest age of the sample. After including the time since event and initial affect intensity, the FAB increased even more at older ages. The present findings, which extend previous research on age differences in the FAB, largely support predictions derived from the socioemotional selectivity theory and the strength and vulnerability integration model. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).</p>","PeriodicalId":48426,"journal":{"name":"Psychology and Aging","volume":" ","pages":"594-609"},"PeriodicalIF":3.5000,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Psychology and Aging","FirstCategoryId":"102","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1037/pag0000900","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2025/5/15 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"GERONTOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
The fading affect bias (FAB) names the phenomenon that the affect intensity of negative autobiographical memories (AMs) fades more rapidly and to a greater extent from event occurrence to recall than the affect intensity of positive AMs. The goal of the present study was to examine whether and how the magnitude of the FAB varies with participant age, and whether these potential age effects could be explained by differences in the time elapsed since the events or their initial affect intensity. Analyses were based on 2,062 adults (aged 18-96 years; 60.67% women; 75.46% with a university entrance diploma; 95.68% with German as their mother tongue), who reported AMs of three positive and three negative events in a free recall procedure. Participants rated the affect intensity of each AM retrospectively from the perspective of event occurrence and from the momentary perspective of event recall. Latent change score models were used to operationalize and predict latent changes in AMs' positive and negative affect intensity as well as a latent overall FAB score. The magnitude of the FAB showed a U-shaped function across age, with a low point at age 40 and a maximum at the oldest age of the sample. After including the time since event and initial affect intensity, the FAB increased even more at older ages. The present findings, which extend previous research on age differences in the FAB, largely support predictions derived from the socioemotional selectivity theory and the strength and vulnerability integration model. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).
期刊介绍:
Psychology and Aging publishes original articles on adult development and aging. Such original articles include reports of research that may be applied, biobehavioral, clinical, educational, experimental (laboratory, field, or naturalistic studies), methodological, or psychosocial. Although the emphasis is on original research investigations, occasional theoretical analyses of research issues, practical clinical problems, or policy may appear, as well as critical reviews of a content area in adult development and aging. Clinical case studies that have theoretical significance are also appropriate. Brief reports are acceptable with the author"s agreement not to submit a full report to another journal.