Date of Award
Spring 6-13-2025
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Psychology
First Advisor
Joseph Mikels, PhD
Second Advisor
Jessica Choplin, PhD
Abstract
The positivity effect is a noted preference for positive information over negative information in older adults’ cognition. This effect has been observed in multiple domains of cognition, including both attention and memory (Carstensen & Mikels, 2005). Evidence for the positivity effect has shown up consistently in replications across type of memory (Reed et al., 2014), and this phenomenon can be considered within the context of other trends of cognitive aging. Most if not all research in this area has been constrained to laboratory settings, and there has been limited research as to the context sensitivity of this observed effect. What little research has been done to the context sensitivity of this effect has considered the positivity effect in health-care decisions (Lockenhoff & Carstensen, 2008). This effect may be especially important to consider in the realm of contracts and contract-signing. A positivity effect in signing contracts and making large-scale financial decisions would have implications for consumer protections in this setting. Additionally, previous studies have used gain/loss framing to manipulate the valence of a message while keeping the factual content of the message the same (Minton et al., 2021). The current study tested the positivity effect in memory in a contract context using gain/loss framing to manipulate positivity. No significant differences were found between groups based on age or positivity. Implications are discussed.
Recommended Citation
Stricker, Megan Kathryn, "The Positivity Effect in Contracts" (2025). College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations. 579.
https://via.library.depaul.edu/csh_etd/579
SLP Collection
no
Comments
The positivity effect is a noted preference for positive information over negative information in older adults’ cognition. This effect has been observed in multiple domains of cognition, including both attention and memory (Carstensen & Mikels, 2005). Evidence for the positivity effect has shown up consistently in replications across type of memory (Reed et al., 2014), and this phenomenon can be considered within the context of other trends of cognitive aging. Most if not all research in this area has been constrained to laboratory settings, and there has been limited research as to the context sensitivity of this observed effect. What little research has been done to the context sensitivity of this effect has considered the positivity effect in health-care decisions (Lockenhoff & Carstensen, 2008). This effect may be especially important to consider in the realm of contracts and contract-signing. A positivity effect in signing contracts and making large-scale financial decisions would have implications for consumer protections in this setting. Additionally, previous studies have used gain/loss framing to manipulate the valence of a message while keeping the factual content of the message the same (Minton et al., 2021). The current study tested the positivity effect in memory in a contract context using gain/loss framing to manipulate positivity. No significant differences were found between groups based on age or positivity. Implications are discussed.