Cognitive Control Styles of Emotional Processing in Older Adults: The Effects of Emotional Information and Task Relevance

doi:10.12139/j.1672-0628.2026.05.011

Abstract

Abstract: Within the framework of dual cognitive control, this study, through two experiments, examined how the task-relevance of emotional information modulates the cognitive control mechanisms underlying emotional processing in older adults. In Experiment 1, emotional faces served as a task-irrelevant background, while in Experiment 2, they were presented as task-relevant targets. The results revealed that when emotional information was task-irrelevant, the cognitive control strategies of older adults tended to align with those of young adults; when it was task-relevant, older adults maintained proactive control over happy faces comparable to that of young adults, whereas for sad faces, their proactive control decreased and reactive control increased. These findings indicate that the cognitive control strategies underlying emotional processing in older adults are systematically modulated by the task-relevance of emotional information, revealing the situational dependence of the “positive effect”.

Key words: older adults, emotional faces, task relevance, proactive control, reactive control

摘要： 本研究在双重认知控制框架下，通过两个实验考察情绪信息与任务相关性如何调节老年人情绪加工的认知控制方式。实验1以情绪面孔为任务无关背景，实验2将其作为任务相关目标。结果发现：情绪信息与任务无关时，老年人与青年人的认知控制方式趋于一致；与任务相关时，老年人对愉快面孔保持与青年人相当的主动性控制，对悲伤面孔则主动性控制下降、反应性控制增强。结果表明，老年人情绪加工的认知控制方式受情绪信息与任务相关性的系统调节，揭示了“积极效应”的情境依赖性特征。

关键词: 老年人, 情绪面孔, 任务相关性, 主动性控制, 反应性控制

CLC Number:

B844

ZHANG Ni, WANG Jingxin. Cognitive Control Styles of Emotional Processing in Older Adults: The Effects of Emotional Information and Task Relevance[J]. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 2026, 24(5): 655-663.

张霓, 王敬欣. 老年人情绪加工的认知控制方式：情绪信息与任务相关性的影响[J]. 心理与行为研究, 2026, 24(5): 655-663.

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