Social perceptions of failures in memory monitoring.
Can repetitious verbal behavior elicit negative stereotypes about age, memory, and competence? Young adults (n = 102, M age = 19.3 years) and community-dwelling older adults (n = 98, M age = 67.3 years) read a script containing a hypothetical conversation between 2 female targets. In the experimental condition, 1 of the targets repeated several statements during the conversation. Significant Target x Condition interactions were obtained on measures of perceived age, competence, and memory ability. The results demonstrate that conversational behavior may contribute to negative age-related perceptions in the same way as other external markers of age (e.g., vocal and facial features).
Bieman-Copland
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Department of Psychology, Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. sbieman@spartan.ac.brocku.ca
Ryan
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D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008569:Memory Disorders; D011287:Prejudice; D012938:Social Perception; D014705:Verbal Behavior