Final answer:
The statement is false; research suggests older adults may have a positivity bias, remembering more positive information than younger adults, which is thought to be an emotional coping strategy.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that younger adults are inclined toward recalling positive over negative information, while older adults show the reverse, is false. Research indicates that older adults may actually have a positivity bias, where they tend to remember more positive than negative information compared to younger adults. This is thought to be a coping strategy that enhances emotional well-being as individuals age.
Memory biases, such as stereotypical bias, egocentric bias, and hindsight bias, can affect both younger and older adults, leading to inaccuracies in how memories are recalled. These biases demonstrate how feelings, worldview, and the reconstructive nature of memory can distort recollections of past events.
Furthermore, empirical studies on aging brains, such as those by Forssmann and colleagues (2011), illustrate that cognitive decline in older adults may be attributed to neurodegeneration, affecting their performance in tasks compared to younger individuals. However, this does not prescribe a tendency towards recalling negative information.