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General interest items edited by Janice Flahiff

[News article] How negative stereotyping affects older people

From the 2 February 2015 University of Kent press release

Analysis of research on the effect of negative stereotypes on older people’s abilities has concluded these stereotypes are a major problem for the demographic.

Interview

Picture by Alan Cleaver. Licensed under CC BY 2.0

 

A research team at the University’s School of Psychology carried out a review and meta-analysis of Aged-Based Stereotype Threat (ABST).

They statistically analysed international evidence from 37 research studies, both published and unpublished. They concluded that older adults’ memory and cognitive performance is negatively affected in situations that signal or remind them of negative age stereotypes. These effects affect both men and women.

The research, funded by the Economic and Social Research council  (ESRC), was carried out by Ruth Lamont, working with Dr Hannah Swift and Professor Dominic Abrams. It further found that older people’s cognitive performance suffers more when the threat is induced by stereotypes rather than by facts.

 

February 3, 2015 Posted by | Psychology | , , , , , | Leave a comment

   

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