Exploring the affective and semantic influences of self-generated thought in old and young people.
This project will explore how the affective and semantic influences on self-generated thought in old and young people. We will record resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging data as well as structural data in a cohort of old and young individuals. In a separate laboratory session they will also complete a battery of tests measuring controlled and semantic processing as well as scene construction. In the laboratory we will also examine heart rate variability during rest and tasks. Finally, we will measure the content of thought in these individuals as they complete simple laboratory tasks. Using these data we will examine how semantic and affective processes vary with neural and psychological indicators of unconstrained thought, and how these are altered by age.