The Effect of Stereotype Threat on Age Differences in Prospective Memory Performance: Differential Effects on Focal Versus Nonfocal Tasks.
OBJECTIVES
The current study examined the effects of stereotype threat on prospective memory (PM) performance in younger versus older adults by using a focal (i.e., low cognitive demands) and a nonfocal (i.e., high cognitive demands) PM task.


METHOD
Sixty younger and 60 older adults performed an event-based PM task, in which task instructions were experimentally manipulated. Half of the participants received instructions that emphasized the memory component of the task (memory condition; i.e., high stereotype threat for older adults) whereas the other half was instructed that the task evaluated participants' reading-ability (reading condition; i.e., low stereotype threat).


RESULTS
Older adults' PM performance was worse than younger adults' only in the memory condition and these effects were specific for nonfocal PM cues as well as for old-old adults.


DISCUSSION
Conceptually, this indicates that stereotype threat particularly impacts age effects for cognitive processes associated with executive control and that this particularly affects old-old adults. Therefore, the current findings illustrate for the first time that age differences in PM can be influenced by stereotype threat and suggest changes in controlled attention as possible cognitive pathway.
['Zuber|Sascha|S|', 'Ihle|Andreas|A|', 'Blum|Anaëlle|A|', 'Desrichard|Olivier|O|', 'Kliegel|Matthias|M|']
D000328:Adult D000367:Age Factors D000368:Aged D000375:Aging D003071:Cognition D056344:Executive Function D005260:Female D006801:Humans D033182:Intention D008297:Male D061212:Memory, Episodic D008606:Mental Processes D000073216:Mental Status and Dementia Tests D009042:Motivation D011340:Problem Solving D013240:Stereotyping D013647:Task Performance and Analysis
Intentional behavior Motivation Task-instructions