Stereotype Threatens The Spillover Effect On Risk Decisions For Older People

Older adults face pervasive negative stereotypes that memory, cognitive, and physical competence decline with age, and these stereotypes make them vulnerable to age-based stereotype threat, and then underperforms on stereotype relevant tasks. Previous studies pay more attention to the stereotype threat effect on stereotype related tasks, and focus on little other more advanced cognitive tasks. Following the extended research of stereotype threat priming effect, the spillover effect of stereotype threat on tasks beyond stereotype itself has gradually received wide attention. Stereotype threat spillover is a situational predicament in which coping with the stress of stereotype confirmation leaves one in a depleted volitional state and thus less likely to engage in effortful self-control in a variety of domains.In conclusion, this study proposed that stereotype threat can affect the aged people's performance in risky decision making.According to theory of stereotype threat spillover, we explore the effect of negative aging stereotype threat situation prime on their decision making preference, with the mediating role of self-control. On this basis, we try to discuss the neural mechanism of stereotype threat spillover from a cognitive process time course perspective. We randomly assigned the elderly into the two experimental situations, and applied blackjack task with event related potential being recorded. Take the decision making preference of elderly and brain potentials while stimuli processing as dependent variables respectively, we carry out Condition (between-subject:threat group, control group) x Risk level (within-subject:high, medium and low) Repeated ANOVA Moreover, we discussed the brain activities (wave amplitude and frequency) when feedback about real result presented. This paper has got several conclusions below:(1) Behavioral results showed that probability of choosing another card declines as risk level arises, what's more, elderly in threat group took more adventure.(2) Stimulus locked ERP analysis found that, a negative component N2 and a late positive component P3 were induced in both situations. Wave amplitude evoked by low risky decision was significantly more positive than high and medium risky levels in both component. In addition, under control condition, the brain activities in diverse regions were significant different, which the amplitudes of P300 in parietal lobe were significantly larger than other regions. However, no significant region difference was found under stereotype threat condition.(3) During feedback presented, an early P300 and a negative N500 component were induced by negative and positive feedback in both situations. The amplitudes differences induced by Feedback type mainly occur on frontal lobe. Amplitudes of N500 component under threat condition were significantly lower than control group, and differences between feedback were only found in control group, while not under threat.(4) In feedback-locked frequency analysis, a feedback-induced increase in power at the theta and alpha band over frontal scalp was found during the gamble. Compared to threat condition, an increased power at alpha band under control was significantly larger over frontal and central scalp. Beyond that, under control, a larger inter-trail coherence at theta band was induced by positive feedback, and no difference was found under threat again.Above all, the prime of stereotype threat depletes self-control of elderly, which restrains the activation of the brain regions related to stimuli and feedback processing during gamble, and further lead to the differences of decision-making preferences between the two groups.