Age-Related Identification of Emotions at Different Image Sizes

Objectives: The goal of this study was to determine whether older adults are placed at a unique disadvantage in identifying emotions at small image sizes. Background: Technologies relevant to older adults often display small images, though no studies have examined whether these systems are usable for this population. Given the importance of successful emotional processing, we draw on research showing age-related difficulties in processing negative emotions to examine older adults' performance on images with reduced sizes. Methods: Sixty participants, 20 in each age group, were shown the names of emotions, followed by a facial expression, and were asked to indicate as rapidly as possible if they matched. Results: For response time we found an interaction of age and window size, showing that older adults, unlike younger adults, are slower with small sizes than with large sizes. For accuracy, we found an interaction of age and emotion, indicating that older adults are less accurate in the perception of fearful, sad, and surprised stimuli. Conclusions: Only older adults are disadvantaged by smaller images. Also, interactions of age and emotion reflect older adults' difficulty processing negative emotions. Applications: Our results have implications for the design of videoconferencing technology and mobile systems and extend previous research on aging and emotion.