Chasteen,
Bhattacharyya, Horhota, Tam, & Hasher, 2005
Three studies examined the
role of stereotype threat in accounting for memory
deficits in older adults. Unlike previous studies
on stereotype threat involved in memory and aging, these
studies used socially involving stimuli and varied instructions
that were given. In Experiment 1, older
and younger adults read brief descriptions of behaviors
supposedly performed by an individual (e.g., "had a
party for some friends last week") either while trying
to form an impression of the person (impression
formation set) or while trying to memorize the sentences
(memory set).
Consistent
with previous research, recall was higher under
impression formation than memory instructions. Moreover,
even though recall was lower for the older
participants, the effect of instructions was equivalent
for both age groups. Experiment 2 replicated these
main effects but also included a measure of stereotype
threat. Older participants were more likely to
indicate stereotype threat regarding their memory
performance, and the degree of threat mediated the
relation between age and recall performance. Experiment
3 replicated the findings of Experiment 2 using a
recognition memory task. These studies indicate that
although impression formation instructions improve
memory performance in older adults, they do not reduce
stereotype threat experienced by older participants in
experiments on memory. In addition, perceptions of
stereotype threat worsened memory performance for older
adults on both recall and recognition tasks.Back to top | Previous
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