Stigma sensitivity and stereotype threat in older adults.
Published: 2006
Language: eng
Number of pages: 47
ISBN-13: 9780494213933
Description: Although research has shown that older adults are negatively affected by aging stereotypes, no method is currently available to identify which older adults may be especially susceptible to these effects. The current research takes the first step toward identifying older adults most susceptible to the effects of stereotype threat and investigates the consequence of stereotype threat on the well-being of older adults. We hypothesized that stereotype threat effects would be moderated by stigma consciousness, age group identification, and perceived stereotype threat such that stereotype threat effects would be most potent for those highly identified with the older adult age group, high in stigma consciousness, or high in both state and trait perceived stereotype threat. We also expected to see a decrease in positive affect for those in the threat condition, with no change in positive affect for those in the no threat condition. The results of our study showed that stereotype threat disrupted performance on the free recall task, but no moderation of this effect was found. However, stereotype threat effects on cued and recognition recall tasks were moderated by stigma consciousness, and state and trait perceived stereotype threat. Results and implications for negative and positive affect and other variables of interest are discussed.
Notes: Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 45-03, page: 1687.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Toronto, 2006.

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