The effect of sad mood on subjective appraisal of memory performance in older people with and without subjective memory complaints: An experimental study

Background Subjective memory complaints (SMC) have been identified as a possible precursor to cognitive decline and may indicate a need for an early intervention for at‐risk older adults. However, it is well‐established that low mood is associated with SMC, leading to claims that memory concerns in older people may often reflect primarily psychological symptoms. This study aimed to determine the effect of low mood on subjective memory appraisal in older adults. Method We used a film‐based mood induction procedure (MIP) to test the effect of sad vs. neutral mood on subjective appraisal of memory performance in an experimental 2X2 between‐subjects design. Participants were 98 cognitively unimpaired older people (n=45 with SMC), randomised to the sad MIP (n=56) or the neutral MIP (n=42). All participants completed measures of trait SMC and ruminative self‐focused attention (RSFA) as well as perceived performance and metacognitive experience (ME) following the MIP and completion of a face‐name and a maze‐learning task. Result Participants in the sad MIP condition (M=42.75, SD=30.97) reported significantly greater sadness than those in the neutral condition following the manipulation (M=11.57, SD=18.44). The association between objective and subjective memory performance was stronger for cued recall on the face‐name task (r=.61, p=.001) and was weaker free recall on the face‐name task (r=.26, p=0.016) as well on the maze‐learning task (r=‐.16, p=.200). Contrary to expectation, there was no significant effect of mood condition on perceived performance on Face‐Name learning task (MD=‐2.43, p=498), but sad mood was associated with better perceived performance on the maze‐learning task (MD=13.34, p=.015). Results also indicated that RSFA and ME were implicated as mechanisms in subjective memory performance appraisal. Conclusion Findings indicate that SMC is a complex multifaceted phenomenon which may be underpinned by maladaptive self‐regulation and attentional systems, sugg