The Effect of Age-Related Stereotypes on Response Initiation and Execution

Abstract

In 2 experiments, the authors investigated the effects of positive and negative stereotypes of older adults on response initiation and execution. College students were first primed with the word young or the word old, and then produced an aimed hand movement in response to a positive or negative trait. Results of the 1st experiment indicated that the participants produced the fastest and most forceful movements when the word “old” primed negative traits; they produced the slowest and least forceful responses when the word old primed positive traits. In a 2nd experiment, the authors replicated these effects by using only the prime old. The results suggest that ageist responses extend beyond reaction time in a social judgment task.