Examining the Utility of a Multiple Group Membership Intervention for Alleviating the Effects of Age-Based Stereotype Threat on Older adults’ Memory Performance

ABSTRACT

This study examined the effectiveness of a multiple group membership intervention for reducing the negative effects of age-based stereotype threat (ABST) on older adults’ objective memory performance and subjective memory concerns. Healthy older adults (N = 68) were randomly allocated to an ABST + threat-removal (ABST+TR) or ABST + active-control (ABST+AC) condition. After activating ABST, the ABST+TR condition completed a group-listing task and the ABST+AC condition completed a meal-listing task. Participants then completed the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) and Everyday Memory Questionnaire – Revised. One significant difference was found in memory performance between conditions; specifically, after controlling for age, gender, and number of items listed, those in the ABST+TR condition performed significantly better on the RAVLT memory interference trial. Further, listing a greater number of group memberships was associated with better memory performance in the ABST+TR condition. No significant difference was found in subjective memory concerns between the ABST+TR condition and the ABST+AC condition. Overall, the current findings indicated that raising the salience of multiple group memberships offered limited protection for older adults’ cognitive test performance in the context of ABST.

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank all of the community clubs, retirement villages, and other organisations who advertised our study and the older adults who participated in the study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

This research was not preregistered in an institutional registry. The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, GJP, upon reasonable request.

Additional information

Funding

GJP was supported by a Goda Foundation postgraduate scholarship award.