Stereotype Threat, Aging, and Memory

描述（由申请人提供）：在我们的文化中存在着许多对老年人的负面刻板印象。其中最普遍的一种观点认为，老年的特点是无能、迟钝和健忘，而这些特征是衰老过程中不可避免的。尽管有相当多的科学证据表明认知能力在下降，但新出现的证据表明，人们对衰老的看法并不那么悲观。例如，衰老对记忆的影响并不是普遍的，因为某些类型的记忆技能随着年龄的增长而表现出最小的变化。其次，也有新的证据表明，观察到的记忆年龄差异的程度受到影响老年人动机和参与任务的情境因素的影响。最后，也是本研究的重点，研究还表明，我们对衰老的负面刻板印象可能会独立于衰老对表现的任何不可避免的影响之外，对表现产生负面影响。本文提出的研究将使用刻板印象威胁框架更彻底地检验这种可能性。刻板印象威胁被认为发生在当一个刻板印象群体的成员（例如，老年人）被置于一个潜在的确认刻板印象的位置（例如，被测试记忆）。在这种情况下，假设个体的焦虑和评价忧虑加剧，这反过来又对他们的表现产生负面影响。提出了六项独立的研究，以检查可能导致老年人刻板印象威胁的情况及其影响因素。这些研究对于帮助我们理解(a)与记忆表现年龄差异相关的因素，(b)刻板印象威胁操作对年龄相关能力评估效度的影响程度，以及(c)刻板印象威胁对老年人在可能被刻板印象的日常环境（如工作环境）中的表现的潜在影响具有重要意义。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Many negative stereotypes about older adults exist in our culture. One of the most pervasive relates to the belief that old age is characterized by traits such as incompetence, slowing, and forgetfulness, and that these traits are inevitable aspects of the aging process. Whereas there is considerable scientific evidence that demonstrates declining cognitive skills, there is emerging evidence that suggests a less pessimistic view of aging. For example, the effects of aging on memory are not universal, in that there are certain types of memory skills that exhibit minimal change with aging. Second, there is also emerging evidence that the degree to which age differences in memory are observed is influenced by situational factors that affect older adults' motivations and engagement in the task. Finally, and the focus of the proposed research, research also suggests that our negative stereotypes of aging may negatively affect performance independently of any inevitable effects of aging on performance. The research proposed herein will more thoroughly examine this possibility using the stereotype threat framework. Stereotype threat is thought to occur when members of a stereotyped group (e.g., older adults) are put into a position of potentially confirming the stereotype (e.g., being tested for memory). In such a situation, it is assumed that the individual's anxiety and evaluation apprehension is heightened, which in turn negatively affects their performance. Six separate studies are proposed to examine the situations that might induce stereotype threat in older adults as well as the factors that underlie its influence. Such research is important in terms of helping us to understand (a) the factors associated with age differences in memory performance, (b) the extent to which the validity of aging-related ability assessments might be affected by the operation of stereotype threat, and (c) the potential impact of stereotype threat on the performance of older adults in everyday situations in which they might be stereotyped (e.g., work settings).