| Facial expressions are a nonverbal form of communication used to signify an underlying emotional state. However, the ability to recognize expressions declines with age. Age-related deficits in emotion recognition have been suggested as being related to normal cognitive decline, yet evidence regarding this relationship is unclear. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the changes in expression recognition accuracy and sensitivity across the lifespan, as well as to determine the influence of cognitive functions. Sex differences were also explored. The results of the present study found that peak performance in the ability to accurately identify facial affect occurred in middle-age, with the children and older adults performing the poorest. Specifically, older adults were impaired in their ability to identify fear, sad, and happy relative to the young and middle-age adults, but had preserved recognition of anger, disgust, and surprise. Peak performance in sensitivity to facial affect occurred in young adulthood, with children and older adults again performing the poorest. Older adults were impaired in their sensitivity to all emotions relative to younger adults. Regarding sex differences, a female advantage was found in the ability to accurately identify anger and happy, but no sex differences emerged for sensitivity. Fluid intelligence, and to a lesser extent memory, was found to predict both accuracy and sensitivity for many of the emotions, especially for the older-aged participants. Overall, the age-related changes that occur in facial expression recognition have implications for older adults, potentially causing disruptions in their ability to communicate during social interactions. |
