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¶ … population of seniors grows in number, an understanding of how age affects memory becomes increasingly important. Yet the awareness of age-related memory loss can itself be a problem, causing a type of self-fulfilling prophecy known as stereotype threat. Stereotype threat refers to the sense of threat a person experiences when identifying with a stereotype. In the case of aging, a person who has been continually reminded of age-related memory loss might therefore perform worse on memory recall tests. Stereotype threat can be triggered directly, as when people are told that aging reduces memory performance, or indirectly, such as simply being shown the word "senile."
Stereotype bias can further enhance age-related memory loss by causing a self-fulfilling prophecy. However, there are different types of memory functions. Memory functions can be loosely grouped into two categories: implicit and explicit memory. Explicit memory refers to the active and purposeful recollection of people, places, things, and details. Implicit memory refers to the more automatic, less conscious knowledge of how to perform tasks like riding a bicycle. Prior research has shown that age adversely affects explicit memory more so than implicit memory, yet few studies have examined the concurrent role that stereotype threat plays on age-related implicit vs. explicit memory.
Hypothesis
Eich, et al. (2014) set out to study the relationship between stereotype threat...
The researchers seek to clarify whether stereotype threat impacts both implicit and explicit memory, or only one or the other. Because prior research does suggest that implicit memory is not as affected by age as explicit memory, the researchers predict that stereotype threat will impact explicit memory function more than implicit function. Moreover, the researchers want to discover whether there are differences between younger vs. older seniors because memory functions have been shown change with age.
Methods
The researchers randomly mailed invitations to participate in the study. Mailings were sent to members of senior centers in Los Angeles and New York, and 71 people between the ages of 53 and 98 were selected and randomly assigned to one of two experimental groups: the stereotype threat condition and the control group. Both groups performed the same set of memory-related tests, but the stereotype threat group received a suggestion prior to commencing the memory tests. The suggestion was that age adversely impacts memory. The tests were administered at the local senior centers, and included mainly word stem exercises designed to measure explicit and implicit memory.
Results/Discussion
Eich et al. (2014) found that stereotype threat adversely affects explicit memory in the Early Aging group (with the mean age of 67.83), but not in the Later Aging group (with the mean age…
Reference
Eich, T.S., Murayama, K., Castel, A.D. & Knowlton, B.J. (2014). The dynamic effects of age related stereotype threat on explicit and implicit memory performance in older adults. Social Cognition 32(6): 559-570.
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