What term describes the elderly tendency to perceive and remember positive images and experiences more than negative ones?

• A. Positivity effects
• B. Stratification theories
• C. Activity theory
• D. AARP

Answer: (A)

Positivity effect describes older adults’ tendency to attend to, encode, and recall positive information more than negative information as a way to maintain emotional well-being. As people’s time horizons feel shorter with age, they prioritize emotionally meaningful goals and experiences. This shift leads the aging mind to process positive stimuli more deeply and remember them better, while negative details may fade or be deprioritized. Research shows older adults often remember positive pictures or stories more than negative ones, a pattern less pronounced or absent in younger adults. This phenomenon is explained by emotion-regulation goals linked to socioemotional selectivity theory, rather than by ideas about social roles or staying physically active, or by organizations like AARP.