(W)hen people are confronted with negative stereotypes about a group with which they identify, they tend to self-handicap and underperform compared to their potential. In doing so, they inadvertently confirm the negative stereotypes they were worried about in the first place.
The results highlight just how crucial it is for older adults, as well clinicians, to be aware of how ageist beliefs about older adults can affect older adults' real memory test performance."Older adults should be careful not to buy into negative stereotypes about aging - attributing every forgetful moment to getting older can actually worsen memory problems." said Sarah Barber, a postdoctoral researcher at the USC Davis School and lead author of the study.
However, there is a way to eliminate the problem, the study reveals: "No one had yet examined the intriguing possibility that the mechanisms of stereotype threat vary according to age," Barber said.