Poster Number
19B
Format
Poster Presentation
Faculty Mentor Name
Carla Strickland-Hughes
Faculty Mentor Department
Psychology
Abstract/Artist Statement
Commonly-held stereotypes about memory and aging, such as the beliefs that aging equates to memory decline and that older adults are forgetful or demented, endanger older adults (Hummert, 2011). That is, concerns about confirming these negative stereotypes can impair the actual memory performance of older adults where they underperform compared to their true ability – an example of age-based stereotype threat (ABST; Lamont et al., 2015). A meta-analysis suggested that older adults’ memory performance is particularly vulnerable to ABST (Lamont et al., 2016). ABST may even impair older adults' performance on screening measures for dementia, possibly leading to false-positive diagnoses (Mazerolle et al., 2015). ABST effects are more pronounced when individuals identify strongly with their group or feel anxious about their performance (Hess, 2006; Kite et al., 2005), and thus may be effective targets for intervention. This research aims to (1) to test a replication of the ABST manipulation used by Mazerolle et al. (2015) with a different memory test and (2) evaluate whether the ABST effect on older adults’ memory is moderated by task-related anxiety, age-group identification, or participation in a discussion group with younger adults focused on topics relevant to aging. The present research uses a quasi-experimental between-groups design to test these questions. Participants will be healthy, community-dwelling adults (aged at least 50 years old) recruited from the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. Participants will complete an associative memory task either in a high threat or a null threat instructions condition and will respond to surveys assessing their task-related anxiety, age group identification, and contact with younger adults (including the discussion group). Better memory performance is expected for participants who report less task-related anxiety, who feel younger, and who report positive contact with younger adults. Results of this study will inform design of interventions to reduce the impact of ABST.
Location
DeRosa University Center, Ballroom
Start Date
28-4-2018 10:00 AM
End Date
28-4-2018 12:00 PM
Forgetful? Demented? Maybe you're just stereotyped.
DeRosa University Center, Ballroom
Commonly-held stereotypes about memory and aging, such as the beliefs that aging equates to memory decline and that older adults are forgetful or demented, endanger older adults (Hummert, 2011). That is, concerns about confirming these negative stereotypes can impair the actual memory performance of older adults where they underperform compared to their true ability – an example of age-based stereotype threat (ABST; Lamont et al., 2015). A meta-analysis suggested that older adults’ memory performance is particularly vulnerable to ABST (Lamont et al., 2016). ABST may even impair older adults' performance on screening measures for dementia, possibly leading to false-positive diagnoses (Mazerolle et al., 2015). ABST effects are more pronounced when individuals identify strongly with their group or feel anxious about their performance (Hess, 2006; Kite et al., 2005), and thus may be effective targets for intervention. This research aims to (1) to test a replication of the ABST manipulation used by Mazerolle et al. (2015) with a different memory test and (2) evaluate whether the ABST effect on older adults’ memory is moderated by task-related anxiety, age-group identification, or participation in a discussion group with younger adults focused on topics relevant to aging. The present research uses a quasi-experimental between-groups design to test these questions. Participants will be healthy, community-dwelling adults (aged at least 50 years old) recruited from the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. Participants will complete an associative memory task either in a high threat or a null threat instructions condition and will respond to surveys assessing their task-related anxiety, age group identification, and contact with younger adults (including the discussion group). Better memory performance is expected for participants who report less task-related anxiety, who feel younger, and who report positive contact with younger adults. Results of this study will inform design of interventions to reduce the impact of ABST.