1 Emotion perception in old age and dementia Louise Phillips, Vasiliki Orgeta & Clare Scott School of Psychology, University of Aberdeen. Acknowledgements: Alzheimer’s Research Trust Donald Mowat & Stephen Bell, Grampian NHS Trust Shelley Channon, UCL.

2 Ekman faces: emotion labelling task Standardised stimuli. Standardised stimuli. Widely used in cross- cultural and neuropsychological studies. Widely used in cross- cultural and neuropsychological studies. DISGUST HAPPINESS SADNESS FEAR ANGER SURPRISE?

3 Meta-analysis of age effects on emotion labelling Ruffman et al. (in prep) Age difference in identifying: Age difference in identifying: Negative emotions of anger, sadness, fear. Negative emotions of anger, sadness, fear. No age difference in identifying: No age difference in identifying: Surprise, happiness, disgust. Surprise, happiness, disgust. Positivity? Ceiling effects? Positivity? Ceiling effects?

4 Outline of talk Normal aging and Alzheimer’s Disease cause impairments of emotion labelling. Normal aging and Alzheimer’s Disease cause impairments of emotion labelling. Why? Why? Because of high cognitive load of the task? Because of high cognitive load of the task? Reduce cognitive load of task Reduce cognitive load of task Because of visual perceptual declines? Because of visual perceptual declines? Vary intensity of emotion Vary intensity of emotion Relationship with face identity perception. Relationship with face identity perception.

5 Cognitive components of emotion labelling Labelling emotions Labelling emotions Rapid perceptual processing of valence Rapid perceptual processing of valence Decision-making process: which label is best Decision-making process: which label is best Likely that decision-making process loads working memory Likely that decision-making process loads working memory Phillips et al. (under review): tested role of working memory in emotion perception using dual task methodology. Phillips et al. (under review): tested role of working memory in emotion perception using dual task methodology.

6 Dual task effects on emotion labelling and discrimination. Phillips et al. (under review) DISGUST HAPPINESS SADNESS FEAR ANGER SURPRISE? SAME or DIFFERENT emotion?

7 Age effects on emotion discrimination task MacPherson, Phillips & Della Sala (2007) Looked at age effects on emotion labelling and discrimination tasks Looked at age effects on emotion labelling and discrimination tasks Size of age effects: Size of age effects: Labelling: eta squared =.28 Labelling: eta squared =.28 Discrimination: eta squared =.33 Discrimination: eta squared =.33 Age differences in emotion perception not caused by working memory demands of task Age differences in emotion perception not caused by working memory demands of task

8 Age and visual cues in emotion perception Orgeta & Phillips (in press) Reduce intensity of emotion portrayed. Reduce intensity of emotion portrayed. Particularly impair older adults? Particularly impair older adults? Also – remove ceiling effects on happiness Also – remove ceiling effects on happiness Are age differences in emotion perception related to identity perception? Are age differences in emotion perception related to identity perception? Benton Facial Recognition Test Benton Facial Recognition Test

9 Effects of intensity on age differences in labelling happy and sad faces Orgeta & Phillips (in press)

10 Summary of aging effects on emotion perception Old impaired: labelling sadness, anger and fear Old impaired: labelling sadness, anger and fear No difference in age effect for less intense emotions No difference in age effect for less intense emotions Age impairments on face identity perception Age impairments on face identity perception But unrelated to age declines in emotion perception But unrelated to age declines in emotion perception Older adults equally impaired on emotion labelling and discrimination Older adults equally impaired on emotion labelling and discrimination Age differences not due to working memory load Age differences not due to working memory load

11 Effects of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) on emotion perception

12 Sample GroupNAgeEducationMMSEGDS HC AD AD = HC HC > AD AD = HC

13 Methods: emotion/face tasks Choose from emotion labels: happiness sadness anger disgust surprise fear Emotion labelling SAME or DIFFERENT emotion? Emotion discrimination Identity recognition

14 Emotion labelling: AD v control Emotion labelling: AD v control

15 Emotion labelling versus discrimination. DISCRIMINATION Group effect size d = 0.95 DISGUST HAPPINESS SADNESS FEAR ANGER SURPRISE LABELLING Group effect size d = 1.26

16 Intensity effects on emotion perception Saw faces at 75% and 100% intensity Saw faces at 75% and 100% intensity For each, asked to label emotion For each, asked to label emotion No interaction between group and intensity. No interaction between group and intensity. E.g. AD patients good at identifying happiness and disgust even at 75% intensity. E.g. AD patients good at identifying happiness and disgust even at 75% intensity. AD impaired on face identity perception AD impaired on face identity perception But unrelated to emotion perception But unrelated to emotion perception

17 Summary of AD effects AD impairs labelling of: AD impairs labelling of: Anger, sadness, fear, surprise Anger, sadness, fear, surprise Size of effect same for less intense emotions Size of effect same for less intense emotions Impaired emotion perception in AD not explained by: Impaired emotion perception in AD not explained by: Cognitive load of task Cognitive load of task Identity perception Identity perception

18 Young, old and AD on emotion perception Henry et al. (in prep.)

19 Conclusions Age and AD effects on emotion perception: Age and AD effects on emotion perception: Not explained by working memory load of task Not explained by working memory load of task Not influenced by intensity of emotional expression Not influenced by intensity of emotional expression Unrelated to identity perception Unrelated to identity perception Why is disgust spared? Why is disgust spared? Neuropsychological explanation – dependent on basal ganglia rather than temporal/frontal regions? Neuropsychological explanation – dependent on basal ganglia rather than temporal/frontal regions?

20 Emotion perception in old age and dementia Louise Phillips, Vasiliki Orgeta & Clare Scott School of Psychology, University of Aberdeen. Acknowledgements: Alzheimer’s Research Trust Donald Mowat & Stephen Bell Shelley Channon

21 Age and visual cues in emotion perception Benton Facial Recognition Test