Stereotype threat reduces false recognition when older adults are forewarned

Abstract

Exposing older adults to ageing stereotypes can reduce their memory for studied information—a phenomenon attributed to stereotype threat—but little is known about stereotype effects on false memory. Here, we assessed ageing stereotype effects on the Deese-Roediger-McDermott false memory illusion. Older adults studied lists of semantically associated words, and then read a passage about age-related memory decline (threat condition) or an age-neutral passage (control condition). They then took a surprise memory test with a warning to avoid false recognition of non-studied associates. Relative to the control condition, activating stereotype threat reduced the recognition of both studied and non-studied words, implicating a conservative criterion shift for associated test words. These results indicate that stereotype threat can reduce false memory, and they help to clarify mixed results from prior ageing research. Consistent with the regulatory focus hypothesis, threat motivates older adults to respond more conservatively when error-prevention is emphasised at retrieval.

Keywords:

• Stereotype threat
• Ageing
• Memory
• False memory
• Metacognition

Acknowledgements

We thank members of the dissertation committee (Sian Beilock, Susan Levine and Amanda Woodward) and Ayanna Thomas for thoughtful discussions in earlier stages of this project. We would like to recognise the Northwestern Aging Research Registry for assistance with older adult volunteer recruitment. These data were presented at the 54th annual meeting of the Psychonomic Society.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

This work was funded by an American Psychological Association Dissertation Research Award to Jessica Wong.