Depressive Symptomatology and Priming Effects Among Younger and Older Adults

Background/Study Context: This study examined the potential impact of self-reported depressive symptoms on the age-related capacity for inhibition and suppression, utilizing a negative priming paradigm. Methods: One hundred eighty-five community-residing adults varying in age (98 younger adults, M a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Experimental aging research 2017-01, Vol.43 (1), p.1-20
Main Authors: Hayslip, Bert, Sanders, Raymond E., Herrington, Richard S., Murphy, Martin D., Moske, Amanda K.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Age Factors
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Aging - psychology
Cognition
Depression - diagnosis
Depression - psychology
Female
Geriatric Assessment - methods
Geriatric psychology
Humans
Inhibition (Psychology)
Male
Mental depression
Middle Aged
Psychiatric Status Rating Scales
Young Adult
Young adults
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Summary:Background/Study Context: This study examined the potential impact of self-reported depressive symptoms on the age-related capacity for inhibition and suppression, utilizing a negative priming paradigm. Methods: One hundred eighty-five community-residing adults varying in age (98 younger adults, M age  = 22; 87 older adults, M age  = 69) completed a nonconscious priming task, the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), the White Bear Suppression Inventory (WBSI), the Depression Sensitivity Scale (DSS), a free thought suppression task, as well as several measures indexing overall cognitive ability and psychomotor speed. Hierarchical regressions investigated the interaction of depressive symptoms with age and its effect on both positive and negative priming performance, indexing both facilitation and inhibition effects, respectively. Results: Results support the hypothesis that noncognitive factors affect effortful performance among older adults, although this influence varied with the specific component of the GDS, i.e., Dysphoria, Social Withdrawal, and Cognitive Control, and with the measure of depressive symptoms, i.e., GDS versus DSS. Conclusion: These data suggest that aging's impact on both facilitation and inhibition, e.g., positive and negative priming, are to an extent, a function of individual differences in depressive symptoms that interact with age in influencing the necessity to reallocate one's cognitive resources to deal with depressive thoughts and feelings.
ISSN:0361-073X
1096-4657
DOI:10.1080/0361073X.2017.1258208