| Stereotypes are oversimplified generalizations about people that are taken to be veridical. Psychologists have explored their influence on behavior, including task performance. Recently, this research has incorporated aging stereotypes (e.g., wise, frail). Regarding behavior, several stereotype theories (e.g., Steele, 1997; Levy, 2003) have explicated this belief-performance link. Empirically, scholars have induced or emphasized stereotypes and examined subsequent effects on performance, demonstrating such emphasis can threaten and lead to poorer performance by older adults.;Another set of beliefs, self-efficacy (Bandura, 1997), has also been examined in relation to performance across various task domains, including cognitive aging. This work has focused on memory, given its increasing personal relevance as people age, and memory self-efficacy (MSE). As in other domains, results have shown that MSE can have a determining impact on memory performance. Further, research has consistently shown significant age differences, both in memory performance and MSE, favoring the young.;Surprisingly, stereotypes and self-efficacy, although both linked to performance outcomes, have rarely been examined together. The present investigation attempted to fill this void by simultaneously examining aging stereotypes, MSE, and memory performance. Older and younger adults were exposed to aging stereotypes (positive or negative) or a control condition, asked to rate their MSE, and then performed memory tasks. Memory-related anxiety, perceived memory importance, and several other participant demographics were also captured.;In analyses of variance examining the impact of stereotype condition and aging, aging showed significant effects on MSE and memory performance, with older adults obtaining lower scores. Unexpectedly, stereotype condition did not affect MSE or performance. Recall scores were comparable across negative stereotype, positive stereotype, and control conditions. Structural equation models revealed only weak relationships among these variables for younger adults. For older adults, however, MSE predicted memory performance, and anxiety exerted an indirect effect on performance by influencing MSE. For both young and old, anxiety was comparable at baseline and increased significantly during the study. This effect was stronger for older adults. Cumulatively, these results illustrate that memory has increasing personal relevance as people age, and underscore the key roles of memory-specific anxiety and self-confidence (e.g., MSE) in predicting memory performance. |
