Mood induction in older adults in Alzheimer's disease: Emotional reactivity using film clips.

The study of emotions is complex due to the diverse methodologies used. One effective mood induction procedure is the use of film clips. Early Alzheimer's disease (AD) involves behavioral and emotional changes affecting mood and relationships, yet little research explores emotional experiences in its early stages. This study examined emotional reactivity in older adults with AD using film clips to elicit pleasant and unpleasant affective states, based on dimensional and discrete emotion models. The data were collected between 2022 and 2024. The sample included older adults with mild AD (n = 42) and healthy older adults (n = 56). We assessed valence, arousal, and discrete emotions (amusement, tenderness, anger, fear, sadness, disgust) in response to five emotional targets, an AD-related clip, and two neutral stimuli for baseline and recovery. The AD group found the amusement clip less pleasant than the healthy controls group. Arousal was similar across groups. Emotional reactivity was generally attenuated in the AD group, with the presence of mixed emotions and difficulties in emotional recovery, showing higher levels of sadness and disgust. In the AD-related clip, the AD group also experienced less sadness and tenderness than the healthy controls. Our findings suggest early deterioration in emotional processing. The sample was ethnically homogeneous, consisting entirely of Spanish-origin participants; future studies should thus include more diverse populations. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).