title: Threat inoculation: experienced and imagined intergenerational contact prevents stereotype threat effects on older people's math performance.
abstract: The authors hypothesized that experienced and imagined intergenerational contact should improve older people's math test performance under stereotype threat. In Experiment 1 (N=51, mean age=69 years), positive prior contact with grandchildren eliminated stereotype threat, which was mediated partially by reduced test-related anxiety. In Experiment 2 (N=84, mean age=72 years), the effect of threat on performance was significantly improved when participants merely imagined intergenerational contact, a situation again mediated by reduced anxiety. Previous research established that intergroup contact improves intergroup attitudes. The findings show that intergroup (intergenerational) contact also provides a defense against stereotype threat.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK. d.abrams@kent.ac.uk
authors.forename: Dominic
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Abrams
authors.forename: Richard J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Crisp
authors.forename: Sibila
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Marques
authors.forename: Emily
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fagg
authors.forename: Lauren
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bedford
authors.forename: Dimitri
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Provias
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology; D001143:Arousal; D003469:Culture; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007092:Imagination; D016901:Intergenerational Relations; D008297:Male; D008433:Mathematics; D008875:Middle Aged; D011287:Prejudice; D013240:Stereotyping; D013404:Suggestion