ERIC Number: EJ978902
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012
Pages: 14
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0091-4150
EISSN: N/A
A Cross-Cultural Examination of the Positivity Effect in Memory: United States vs. China
Chung, Christie; Lin, Ziyong
International Journal of Aging and Human Development, v75 n1 p31-44 2012
Many studies conducted in the United States (U.S.) have documented a positivity effect in aging--a tendency for older adults to remember more positive than negative information in comparison to young adults. Despite this cognitive emotional benefit, U.S. adults still hold a more negative view of aging compared to adults in Asia. We hypothesized that these aging stereotypes may contribute to different patterns of age-related emotional memory processing in the two cultures. In the present study, we tested young and older adults in the U.S. and China on a View of Aging task and an emotional picture memory task. Chinese older adults hold a significantly more positive view of aging compared to all other groups of participants. Older adults in both countries demonstrated an age-related positivity effect, but Chinese older adults showed a trend in remembering fewer negative pictures than their American counterparts. These findings suggest that aging stereotypes might significantly influence older adults' cognitive abilities. (Contains 3 tables and 1 figure.)
Descriptors: Cross Cultural Studies, Aging (Individuals), Older Adults, Young Adults, Comparative Analysis, Age Differences, Foreign Countries, Stereotypes, Memory, Emotional Response, Task Analysis, Pictorial Stimuli, Asian Culture, Cognitive Ability
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: China
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A