Claire Growney
Social Science Research Scholar
Psychology
Contact
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2149-7840All Publications
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Socioemotional Engagement With Grandchildren: Associations With Loneliness and Quality of Life.
Journal of applied gerontology : the official journal of the Southern Gerontological Society
2025: 7334648251410631
Abstract
Alongside increases in life expectancy, grandparenting has become a common social role; however, its implications for cognitive, social, and physical functioning remain understudied. Participants (N = 1,002) aged 66-79 in the St Louis Personality and Intergenerational Network (SPIN) study completed questionnaires about physical health, health practices, loneliness, and subjective memory and indicated whether they were grandparents. Grandparents (n = 533) also answered questions about involvement with their grandchildren. There were minimal differences in the well-being of grandparents and non-grandparents. Among grandparents, however, those who were relatively more engaged socially and emotionally with their grandchildren reported lower levels of loneliness, more engagement in healthful behaviors, and better subjective memory. Grandparents who reported providing relatively high levels of both instrumental support and socioemotional engagement reported better overall physical health-related quality of life. Findings provide preliminary evidence that social and emotional ties to grandchildren are associated with better physical and cognitive health among grandparents.
View details for DOI 10.1177/07334648251410631
View details for PubMedID 41460063
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Appreciation of Time and Emotional Well-Being in Adulthood
OXFORD UNIV PRESS. 2025
View details for DOI 10.1093/geroni/igaf122.346
View details for Web of Science ID 001652743100001
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PERCEIVED COGNITIVE DEMANDS OF EMOTION REGULATION IN YOUNG ADULTS AND COGNITIVELY DIVERSE OLDER ADULTS
OXFORD UNIV PRESS. 2025
View details for DOI 10.1093/geroni/igaf122.051
View details for Web of Science ID 001652611600001
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Do Emotion Regulation Abilities in the Lab and in Daily Life Map Onto Each Other for Older Adults?
OXFORD UNIV PRESS. 2025
View details for DOI 10.1093/geroni/igaf122.049
View details for Web of Science ID 001652757700001
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Interpersonal Emotion Regulation Effort in Romantic Couples Across Adulthood
OXFORD UNIV PRESS. 2025
View details for DOI 10.1093/geroni/igaf122.1396
View details for Web of Science ID 001652982000001
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Age Moderates Associations Between Helping and a Sense of Meaningfulness in Daily Life
OXFORD UNIV PRESS. 2025
View details for DOI 10.1093/geroni/igaf122.204
View details for Web of Science ID 001652766000001
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Couples' Perceptions of Interpersonal Emotion Regulation Receipt and Provision Predict Well-Being Across Adulthood.
The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences
2025
Abstract
Exchanges of interpersonal emotion regulation support between romantic couples may be especially important in older adulthood, a time when individuals tend to prioritize close relationships and emotional well-being. We examine the effects of support exchange perceptions in an adult lifespan sample of married couples.In the present study, 134 married couples (N = 268) aged 23-85 (M age = 52.80, SD = 18.27) completed a 9-day daily diary procedure in which they reported current emotions, relationship satisfaction, and the extent to which they provided support to and received support from their partner in terms of managing emotions each day. Using actor-partner interdependence modeling and dyadic response surface analyses, we examined the effects of receiving and providing support on daily relationship satisfaction and emotional well-being, with age as a moderator.At between-person and within-person levels, providing and receiving support were generally associated with higher end-of-day relationship satisfaction and positive affect, although some associations varied by actor and partner reports. Across analyses, compared to younger adults, the well-being of older adults was more strongly linked to their partner's reported interpersonal emotion regulation. In some cases, between-person level alignment in perceptions was more strongly associated with end-of-day negative affect and positive affect among older couples than younger couples, as indicated by response surface analyses.Findings suggest that both receiving and providing interpersonal emotion regulation support are central to couples' well-being across the lifespan. This study provides preliminary evidence that partner perceptions of support exchanges may become increasingly important for well-being throughout adulthood.
View details for DOI 10.1093/geronb/gbaf208
View details for PubMedID 41124028
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Interrelationships among age, time horizons, and uncertainty: emotional experiences and workplace learning.
Work, aging and retirement
2025; 11 (4): 345-357
Abstract
The present study examines interrelationships among age, time horizons, and uncertainty and how they influence preferences for work tasks. We tested hypotheses that were grounded in socioemotional selectivity theory about the role of uncertainty in age differences in work task preferences. The study included 213 participants who were full-time workers aged 25-76 years. Consistent with previous findings, both older ages and shorter occupational time horizons were associated with preferences for emotionally meaningful work tasks over career-advancing tasks. Uncertainty about work was unrelated to work preferences in younger and middle-aged workers, but work uncertainty in older workers was associated with a reduced motivation for emotionally meaningful work. These findings suggest that workplace uncertainty could potentially reduce age-related prosociality at work. Findings make theoretical and applied contributions to the understanding of age-diverse occupational settings.
View details for DOI 10.1093/workar/waae020
View details for PubMedID 41179928
View details for PubMedCentralID PMC12579374
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Emotion Dynamics Across the Adult Lifespan.
Affective science
2025; 6 (3): 451-463
Abstract
Psychological well-being tends to increase throughout adulthood, but age-related differences in emotion dynamics have been less explored. By examining patterns of emotion dynamics across age, we can gain deeper insight into potential areas where age-related emotional advantages do and do not exist. In the present study, an adult lifespan sample (N = 290, aged 25-85) completed an experience sampling protocol in which they reported their current emotional experiences six times a day for ten days. We examined age as a predictor of composites of mean-level, intensity, frequency, instability, and inertia of positive emotions (PA: excited, enthusiastic, happy, grateful, peaceful, relaxed) and negative emotions (NA: stressed, nervous, angry, disgusted, sad, sluggish, bored), as well as discrete emotions. Age predicted lower mean-level, intensity, and frequency of NA and this pattern generally replicated across discrete negative emotions. Age was not associated with mean-level or intensity of PA, but it predicted higher PA frequency. Regarding discrete positive emotions, age predicted higher mean-level happiness, higher mean-level and intensity of peacefulness and relaxation, and lower intensity of excitement. Age predicted less inertia of PA, peacefulness, and relaxation (but not NA) and less instability of both NA and PA. This work highlights the value of considering multiple indices of emotion dynamics in age-diverse samples. While older adults demonstrated lower levels of NA, their NA carried over from one time point to the next similarly to young adults. On the other hand, PA was more frequently experienced by older adults but more inert for young adults.The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s42761-025-00319-8.
View details for DOI 10.1007/s42761-025-00319-8
View details for PubMedID 41185775
View details for PubMedCentralID PMC12579649
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Comparing Emotion Regulation Success in the Lab and Daily Life Contexts in a Cognitively Diverse Sample.
Affective science
2025; 6 (3): 489-503
Abstract
Laboratory experiments and daily life approaches for examining emotion regulation (ER) success each have their advantages. The former allows researchers to isolate causal mechanisms and the latter provides an externally valid way to understand how effective people are at managing emotions. However, these methodologies sometimes find different patterns. We theorize that the degree to which perceived ER success in the laboratory and in daily life are related depends on features of the regulation context (e.g., in situations where individuals hold greater pro-hedonic motives) and characteristics of the regulator (e.g., age). In the present study, 211 adults (n = 66 younger adults; n = 87 cognitively normal [CN] older adults; n = 58 older adults with mild cognitive impairment [MCI]) completed a lab-based paradigm of ER and experience sampling of ER in daily contexts (7 × for 9 days). Overall, ER success in the laboratory had minimal associations with ER success in daily life. The associations between ER success in the laboratory and in daily life did not vary based on daily pro-hedonic motive or group membership. Pro-hedonic ER motivation was linked to less daily ER success. There were age-related advantages in daily ER success, even among older adults with MCI. Altogether, our findings suggest that laboratory assessments may capture distinct aspects of ER ability compared to daily life assessments. More work is needed to test the robustness of this effect and consider other factors that may strengthen or weaken the connection between findings in the laboratory and in daily life.The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s42761-025-00313-0.
View details for DOI 10.1007/s42761-025-00313-0
View details for PubMedID 41185778
View details for PubMedCentralID PMC12579619
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Emotion Dynamics Across the Adult Lifespan
AFFECTIVE SCIENCE
2025
View details for DOI 10.1007/s42761-025-00319-8
View details for Web of Science ID 001528373300001
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Emotion Dynamics in Young and Cognitively Diverse Older Adults.
The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences
2025
Abstract
Prior work has demonstrated age-related increases in emotional well-being and emotional stability. However, little is known about the specific patterns of emotion across daily situations for older adults experiencing mild cognitive impairment (MCI) compared with cognitively normal (CN) older adults and their younger counterparts.Young adults (aged 21-34, n=70), CN older adults (aged 70-83, n=89), and older adults with MCI (aged 70-84; n=60) completed an experience sampling procedure (7x/day for 9 days) reporting their current experience of seven negative emotions and seven positive emotions. We computed indices of mean-level, intensity, frequency, inertia, and instability.Compared with young adults, older adults (both CN and with MCI) had lower mean-level and frequency of negative emotion, coupled with higher mean-level and intensity of positive emotion. Older adults with MCI and younger adults had a higher likelihood of negative emotion instability compared with CN older adults. Young adults had higher inertia of positive emotion compared with older adults with MCI. Regarding discrete emotions, older adults with MCI had more intense nervousness, higher boredom inertia, and lower frequency of happiness and excitement compared with CN older adults.Although older adults with MCI and CN older adults show similar emotion profiles at a broad level, they differ in their temporal dynamics and experience of certain emotions. Mild cognitive impairment in old age may be accompanied by more negative emotion instability and less positive emotion inertia, as well as differences in specific emotions representative of (lack of) engagement.
View details for DOI 10.1093/geronb/gbaf099
View details for PubMedID 40577686
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Comparing Emotion Regulation Success in the Lab and Daily Life Contexts in a Cognitively Diverse Sample
AFFECTIVE SCIENCE
2025
View details for DOI 10.1007/s42761-025-00313-0
View details for Web of Science ID 001510288900001
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Emotion regulation success in older adults with and without mild cognitive impairment.
Psychology and aging
2025
Abstract
Older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) have relatively poor emotional well-being, but little is known about their emotion regulation (ER) processes. In the present study, we investigate whether individuals of varying age and cognitive status might benefit emotionally from specific ER strategy selection instructions. Young adults (aged 21-34, n = 66), cognitively normal older adults (CN; aged 70-84, n = 90), and older adults with MCI (aged 70-84, n = 60) completed a laboratory ER task involving high-arousal negative film clips. They were instructed to (a) regulate using any ER strategy and then (b) regulate using a specific ER strategy, depending on the randomly assigned condition: cognitive distraction or detached reappraisal. Participants were video recorded while viewing the film clips and reported on their strategy use, experience of emotion, and perceived ER success. We examined three indicators of ER success: emotional experience, emotional expression, and perceived ER success. Generally, older adults with MCI did not differ greatly from young adults and CN older adults in how successfully they regulated negative emotions in this controlled context. Older adults with MCI expressed less of the target emotion being regulated when instructed to use a specific strategy compared to when instructed to spontaneously select any strategy. Additionally, older adults with MCI demonstrated benefits associated with distraction instructions over reappraisal instructions in terms of reduced experience of the target emotion and greater perceived success. Findings partially support the idea that cognitively impaired older adults may benefit from instructional support, especially encouragement to use attentional deployment strategies, when regulating high-arousal negative emotions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).
View details for DOI 10.1037/pag0000878
View details for PubMedID 39992750
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Social resources and emotional well-being in older adults with and without mild cognitive impairment.
Aging & mental health
2025: 1-12
Abstract
Across adulthood close social partners are increasingly prioritized and socioemotional skills typically improve. We investigate whether age-related benefits in emotional well-being and social resources emerge in both cognitively normal (CN) older adults and older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and whether associations between well-being and social resources vary between these older groups and young adults.Young adults (aged 21-34, n = 75), CN older adults (aged 65-84, n = 93), and older adults with MCI (aged 65-84; n = 62) reported their emotional well-being. Participants and informants reported participants' social engagement and social quality. Using experience sampling (7x/day, nine days), participants reported quantity and quality of their daily interactions.Older adults with MCI had higher well-being than young adults, but lower well-being than CN older adults. Young adults generally had higher social engagement than both older adult groups and lower social quality than CN older adults. Social engagement and quality were both positively associated with well-being, especially among CN older adults.Findings suggest older adults with MCI somewhat maintain age-related advantages in emotional well-being, but not social functioning. Older adults with MCI (and young adults) may also not be as effective in leveraging social resources to support their well-being.
View details for DOI 10.1080/13607863.2025.2465781
View details for PubMedID 39988996
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Perceived demands associated with emotion regulation strategies among young and cognitively diverse older adults.
Cognition & emotion
2025: 1-12
Abstract
Emotion regulation (ER) is viewed as a cognitively demanding process, with strategies varying in demands. Individuals may prefer strategies perceived as lower in cognitive demands, and selecting low-demand strategies may be particularly adaptive for those with limited cognitive resources. We examine how ER strategies differ in perceived cognitive demands and how perceived demands predict strategy selection and well-being among regulators of varying age and cognitive status. Young adults (aged 21-34, n = 66), cognitively normal older adults (CN; aged 70-83, n = 90), and older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI; aged 70-84, n = 60) reported perceived demands and use of ten ER strategies. As expected, early-acting strategies (e.g. situation selection) were generally viewed as less demanding than later-acting strategies (e.g. masking). Younger adults reported higher cognitive demands and effort requirements compared with CN older adults. For younger adults and CN older adults (but not those with MCI), strategies perceived as less demanding were used more. Older (but not younger) adults who perceived ER to be more demanding experienced poorer well-being. Age-related differences in perceived cognitive demands suggest ER perceptions may change with gained life experience. However, MCI may create ER difficulties by interfering with one's ability to select easier to implement strategies.
View details for DOI 10.1080/02699931.2025.2459849
View details for PubMedID 39961043
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Positive peripheral social partners: Relationship and social interaction evaluations across adulthood
JOURNAL OF SOCIAL AND PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS
2025
View details for DOI 10.1177/02654075251319440
View details for Web of Science ID 001420815700001
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The Human Geography of Care
DAEDALUS
2025; 154 (1): 98-116
View details for DOI 10.1162/daed_a_02126
View details for Web of Science ID 001425314200003
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SOCIAL RESOURCES PREDICT EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING IN COGNITIVELY IMPAIRED OLDER ADULTS: RESULTS FROM THE ARMADA STUDY
OXFORD UNIV PRESS. 2024: 147
View details for DOI 10.1093/geroni/igae098.0474
View details for Web of Science ID 001387934600001
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OLDER ADULTS AS RESOURCES IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
OXFORD UNIV PRESS. 2024: 174
View details for DOI 10.1093/geroni/igae098.0560
View details for Web of Science ID 001394198700216
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Interrelationships among age, time horizons, and uncertainty: emotional experiences and workplace learning
WORK AGING AND RETIREMENT
2024
View details for DOI 10.1093/workar/waae020
View details for Web of Science ID 001379482800001
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What's time got to do with it? Appreciation of time influences social goals and emotional well-being.
Psychology and aging
2024; 39 (8): 833-853
Abstract
Socioemotional selectivity theory (SST) maintains that perceived constraints on time horizons motivate people to optimize emotionally meaningful experiences in the present, whereas expansive time horizons lead people to pursue goals that hold future utility. Theoretically, the prioritizing of goals about emotional meaning contributes to the relatively high levels of emotional well-being and mental health observed in older people. The present article provides an overview of SST and places it in historical context, noting the differences and similarities it shares with contemporaneous approaches. We briefly review support for core theoretical postulates and consider a recent set of empirical findings that speak against the role of perceived time on emotional well-being. We argue that existing survey measures of time horizons do not capture the increasing value and appreciation of remaining time posited in SST and describe the development of and evidence for a new Appreciation of Remaining Time scale. We conclude with a discussion about the need for theoretical precision in research and, more broadly, the need to consider explanations for age differences that extend beyond compensation for loss to fully understand socioemotional development in adulthood. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).
View details for DOI 10.1037/pag0000856
View details for PubMedID 39666485
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Intrinsic interpersonal emotion regulation strategy use and effectiveness across adulthood: The role of interaction partner age.
Emotion (Washington, D.C.)
2024
Abstract
One way older adults may be able to maintain emotional well-being despite declining in cognitive ability is through leveraging social resources for intrinsic interpersonal emotion regulation. Additionally, given their increased life experience, older adults might also be particularly well-suited to regulate the emotions of others. To examine age difference in use and effectiveness of intrinsic interpersonal emotion regulation, community adults (N = 290, aged 25-85 years) were prompted 6×/day for 10 days to report their emotional experience, use of intrinsic emotion regulation strategies (including capitalization, social sharing, co-reappraisal, and reminiscing), and interaction partner age. Older age was associated with being less likely to engage in social sharing of negative emotions, and this effect was stable when controlling for negative emotion experience. Otherwise, there were no age differences in how often or how effectively people use intrinsic interpersonal emotion regulation. In terms of interaction partner age, older partner age was only associated with greater likelihood of using co-reappraisal and higher reports of negative emotion after social sharing. In summary, there was no strong evidence for the idea that interpersonal emotion regulation becomes more (or less) common or effective with age. However, though people may be less likely to share negative emotions and be seen as less effective partners for sharing these emotions later in life, older adults are preferable social partners for co-reappraisal potentially due to their life experience. Future work should explore motivational (i.e., attitudes toward negative emotions) and cultural (i.e., perceptions of roles and emotional abilities) mechanisms. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).
View details for DOI 10.1037/emo0001435
View details for PubMedID 39347740
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Momentary savoring in daily life in an adult life-span sample.
Emotion (Washington, D.C.)
2024
Abstract
Savoring moments can foster well-being. Older adults are theorized to prioritize emotional well-being in daily life, which directs their attention to positive aspects of life. In this study, with data collected from 2018 to 2021, 285 adults aged 25-85 completed an experience sampling procedure (six times a day for 10 days) where they reported their experienced emotions, whether they were savoring the moment, and how close they felt to their most recent social partner. They also completed a trait-level questionnaire on psychological well-being. Across the age range, individuals were more likely to savor moments when they were with close social partners. Older people were more likely than younger people to report savoring when experiencing high levels of positive affect. The tendency to savor was also tied to psychological well-being among individuals independent of their age. Findings highlight the relational aspect of savoring in daily contexts and suggest that savoring may contribute to well-being, helping to account for age advantages in well-being. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).
View details for DOI 10.1037/emo0001423
View details for PubMedID 39325398
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Links Between Daily Life and Laboratory Emotion Regulation Processes: The Role of Age and Cognitive Status.
The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences
2024
Abstract
This study investigates how daily use of emotion regulation (ER) strategies predicts ER processes in the laboratory among young adults and cognitively diverse older adults.Young adults (aged 21-34, n=66), cognitively normal older adults (CN; aged 70-83, n=87), and older adults with researcher-defined mild cognitive impairment (MCI; aged 70-84; n=58) completed an experience sampling procedure (7x/day for 9 days) reporting their distraction and reappraisal use in daily life. In a laboratory task inducing high-arousal negative emotion, they reported their (a) distraction and reappraisal use when instructed to reduce negative emotion and (b) ER success and perceptions when randomly assigned to regulate using distraction or reappraisal.Among CN older adults, higher frequency of using a strategy in daily life predicted greater success deploying the strategy when instructed to do so but was unrelated to spontaneous strategy use in the laboratory. In contrast, among older adults with researcher-defined MCI, greater daily life strategy use predicted greater laboratory use, but not greater success. Daily strategy use in younger adults was unrelated to strategy use and success in the laboratory. Older adults with researcher-defined MCI experienced ER as more demanding but did not differ from non-impaired individuals in terms of perceived ER effort.Cognitively normal older adults may be better able to leverage their ER experience in novel contexts than younger adults. Older adults with MCI may be motivated to manage their emotions but experience more ER difficulty, perhaps in part due to reliance on default strategies.
View details for DOI 10.1093/geronb/gbae073
View details for PubMedID 38679961
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EMOTION REGULATION SUCCESS IN A LABORATORY TASK IN YOUNG ADULTS AND COGNITIVELY DIVERSE OLDER ADULTS
OXFORD UNIV PRESS. 2023: 33
View details for Web of Science ID 001178258400106
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THINKING ABOUT TIME INFLUENCES EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCE DIFFERENTLY IN OLDER AND YOUNGER ADULTS
OXFORD UNIV PRESS. 2023: 559-560
View details for Web of Science ID 001178258402520
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AGE DIFFERENCES IN EMOTION-RELATED OUTCOMES OF COGNITIVE ENGAGEMENT AND MEANINGFULNESS AT WORK
OXFORD UNIV PRESS. 2023: 971
View details for Web of Science ID 001178258404545
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WORKPLACE EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCES, TIME SAVORING, AND HELPING BEHAVIORS IN AN AGEDIVERSE SAMPLE OF ADULTS
OXFORD UNIV PRESS. 2023: 554
View details for Web of Science ID 001178258402503
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Perceived responses, capitalization, and daily gratitude: Do age and closeness matter?
Emotion (Washington, D.C.)
2023
Abstract
Successful capitalization and feelings of gratitude are both dependent upon perceived responsiveness of a social partner, but they are understudied in combination and have yet to be studied jointly in a daily context. Taking a new approach to studying capitalization, the current study examines the effect of daily capitalization on momentary gratitude and investigates the role of the capitalizer's typical perceived responses to capitalization attempts (PRCA) on daily gratitude and future capitalization attempts. Age and social closeness are studied as amplifiers, as older adults prioritize positive emotional experiences and it is more common to capitalize with closer others for whom the capitalizer's good news is salient and who are thus motivated to provide support to the capitalizer. Participants (N = 290) aged 25-85 years completed a trait-level survey followed by ecological momentary assessment surveys (six per day) for 10 days. Results demonstrate that people experienced higher daily gratitude when capitalizing, especially when interacting with a social partner rated as high in closeness. Those who had higher trait active-constructive PRCA also experienced higher daily gratitude, with this effect strengthened among older adults. Perceived responses were also associated with more attempts to capitalize in daily life. This work suggests engaging in capitalization and perceiving regular enthusiastic and supportive responses to one's capitalization attempts have daily emotional and behavioral benefits. Notably, regular enthusiastic responses to capitalization attempts may be a motivator for future attempts across adulthood, but it may be particularly likely to foster feelings of gratitude in old age. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).
View details for DOI 10.1037/emo0001301
View details for PubMedID 37843513
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Age, Resources, and Emotion Regulation Need in Daily-Life Emotional Contexts
JOURNALS OF GERONTOLOGY SERIES B-PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
2023; 78 (7): 1142-1151
Abstract
The Strengths and Vulnerabilities Integration model (Charles, 2010) suggests older adults experience difficulty regulating emotions with high-arousal negative stimuli due to decreases in resources. We investigate relationships among age, physical and cognitive resources, emotional experience, and perceived emotion regulation (ER) needs.Participants aged 25-85 (N = 290) completed assessments of cognitive ability and physical health. In an experience sampling procedure (6x per day for 10 days), participants reported their momentary emotion experience and perceived need to regulate their emotions.Regardless of arousal level, negative emotion was associated with higher ER need and positive emotion was associated with lower ER need. This pro-hedonic orientation was stronger among older adults and individuals with more cognitive resources. In contrast to predictions, older adults in poor physical health who experience high levels of high-arousal negative emotion on average reported lower ER need compared with younger adults in poor physical health. However, older adults with lower cognitive resources who experience high levels of high-arousal negative emotion on average reported higher ER need.Findings suggest that younger age and lower levels of cognitive ability are linked to less perceived need to regulate negative emotional states. Physical vulnerabilities also may dampen the perceived need for regulating high-arousal negative emotions, but only among older adults. Age-related shifts in resources and emotional goals may influence the likelihood that individuals are motivated to engage in ER, as well as the effectiveness of those efforts.
View details for DOI 10.1093/geronb/gbad018
View details for Web of Science ID 000951051100001
View details for PubMedID 36719066
View details for PubMedCentralID PMC10292833
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Age and Cognitive Ability Predict Emotion Regulation Strategy Use
JOURNALS OF GERONTOLOGY SERIES B-PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
2023; 78 (6): 987-997
Abstract
This study examines how age and cognitive ability predict use of different emotion regulation strategies in a laboratory task eliciting emotions varying in valence and arousal.Participants (N = 287) aged 25-85 completed the NIH Toolbox Cognitive Battery and an emotion regulation task in a laboratory setting. They watched a series of emotional clips (disgust, sadness, amusement, and contentment) under instructions to increase positive emotions or decrease negative emotions. After each clip, they rated the extent to which they used emotion regulation strategies that involve different types of engagement with emotional stimuli and disengagement from emotional stimuli.Older age was predictive of greater use of immersive-engagement strategies (e.g., perspective taking) and less use of disengagement strategies (e.g., distraction). Fluid cognitive ability was positively associated with immersive-engagement strategy use, particularly for high-arousal clips. For older adults, fluid cognitive ability was also associated with using positive-engagement strategies (e.g., positive reappraisal) to a greater extent to regulate negative emotions.Patterns of emotion regulation strategy use varied by age, even when accounting for differences in reactivity. Findings suggest that older adults may not necessarily prefer strategies that are lower in cognitive demands or that focus on enhancing positivity. Results support the idea that strategy preferences are driven by a combination of characteristics of the regulator and the regulation context. The relevance of cognitive resources likely varies across situations, perhaps being most consequential for deeper processing of high-arousal stimuli and for older adults' engagement with positive aspects of an otherwise negative situation.
View details for DOI 10.1093/geronb/gbad021
View details for Web of Science ID 000945861700001
View details for PubMedID 36744761
View details for PubMedCentralID PMC10214650
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Fluid and Crystallized Cognitive Resources Differentially Linked to Emotion Regulation Success in Adulthood
EMOTION
2023; 23 (2): 589-594
Abstract
Effective emotion regulation (ER) is theorized to require cognitive resources. Past work has identified inconsistent relationships between cognitive ability and ER success and has focused on implementation of instructed ER strategies. In the present study, we examine a wide range of cognitive abilities as predictors of ER success in the absence of constraints on strategy selection. An age-diverse sample of participants (N = 129, age 25-83) completed an ER task in which they viewed film clips eliciting disgust, sadness, and amusement under instructions to regulate in a prohedonic fashion. ER success was measured through self-reports of positive emotion (PA) and negative emotion (NA) following each clip. Fluid and crystallized cognitive ability were assessed with tasks from the NIH Toolbox Cognitive Battery. Effects of fluid cognition varied by film type, such that fluid cognition was generally less associated with ER success for the disgust clip. Effects of fluid cognition also varied by facet (e.g., processing speed and inhibitory control related to lower NA with the sadness clip, while working memory and episodic memory related to higher PA with the amusement and disgust clips). Crystallized cognition was positively associated with ER success (lower NA) across film types. Findings suggest that both fluid and crystallized cognition are important resources for effective emotion regulation. We propose that crystallized cognition may be particularly important when regulators can rely on life experience to select ER strategies. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).
View details for DOI 10.1037/emo0001087
View details for Web of Science ID 000783468400001
View details for PubMedID 35420833
View details for PubMedCentralID PMC9985456
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Supporting Robust Research on Adult Emotional Development by Considering Context
PSYCHOLOGY AND AGING
2022; 37 (1): 97-110
Abstract
A criterion for high quality science is to produce findings that are robust and replicable across studies. A potential hinderance to successful replication however is context dependency. To formally address issues of context dependency, context has to be defined and integrated into research and replication practices. Emotion research and particularly research on adult emotional development have long emphasized the importance of context. Drawing on established theories of adult development and existing frameworks of context, we define context as it relates to emotional development in adulthood, highlighting specific aspects of immediate surroundings (familiarity, cognitive demands, and social aspects) as well as sociocultural and socioeconomic context, situated within ontogenetic development and historical time. In order to improve the robustness of research on adult emotional development, we encourage researchers to consider these contextual aspects in formulating and testing research questions as well as when interpreting failed replications. We discuss how to adapt study designs to facilitate more context sensitive adult emotional development research. Considering context not only enables new discoveries in aging research, but also can help clarify significant long-standing research questions and further enhance the robustness of research on adult development in emotion. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).
View details for DOI 10.1037/pag0000669
View details for Web of Science ID 000751900800012
View details for PubMedID 35113617
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A relational perspective on emotion regulation across adulthood
SOCIAL AND PERSONALITY PSYCHOLOGY COMPASS
2021; 15 (6)
View details for DOI 10.1111/spc3.12601
View details for Web of Science ID 000640546400001
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Predictors of Engagement in Young and Older Adults: The Role of Specific Activity Experience
PSYCHOLOGY AND AGING
2021; 36 (2): 131-142
Abstract
Activity that places demands on cognitive resources has positive effects on cognitive health in old age. To further understand determinants of age-group differences in participation, we examined how negative aging stereotypes and responses associated with a cognitively challenging activity influenced future willingness to engage in that activity. Sixty-nine young (20-40 years) and 80 older (63-84 years) adults performed a letter-number sequencing (LNS) task at different levels of demand for 15 min, during which systolic blood pressure responses-a measure of effort mobilization-and subjective perceptions of task demands were assessed. Approximately half the participants were primed with a negative aging stereotype prior to this task. Following the LNS task, participants completed an effort-discounting task, with resulting subjective values indicating their willingness to perform the task at each level of demand. As expected, both subjective and objective indicators of cognitive demands as well as performance were associated with future willingness to engage in a difficult task, with these effects being significantly greater for older adults. In addition, although stereotype activation influenced older adults' engagement levels in the LNS task, it did not moderate willingness. Together, the results indicate that, relative to younger adults, older adults' decisions to engage in cognitively challenging activities are disproportionately affected by their subjective perceptions of demands. Interestingly, actual engagement with the task and associated success result in reduced perceptions of difficulty and greater willingness to engage. Thus, overcoming faulty and discouraging task perceptions may promote older adults' engagement in demanding but potentially beneficial activities. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
View details for DOI 10.1037/pag0000561
View details for Web of Science ID 000644428800001
View details for PubMedID 32686945
View details for PubMedCentralID PMC8352080