title: Negative Aging Stereotypes Impair Performance on Brief Cognitive Tests Used to Screen for Predementia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  There is today ample evidence that negative aging stereotypes impair healthy older adults' performance on cognitive tasks. Here, we tested whether these stereotypes also decrease performance during the screening for predementia on short cognitive tests widely used in primary care.
  
  
  METHODS
  An experiment was conducted on 80 healthy older adults taking the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) under Threat or Reduced-threat condition.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Stereotype threat significantly impaired older adults' performance on both tests, resulting in 40% of older adults meeting the screening criteria for predementia, compared with 10% in Reduced-threat condition (MMSE and MoCA averaged).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our research highlights the influence of aging stereotypes on short cognitive tests used to screen for predementia. It is of critical importance that physicians provide a threat-free testing environment. Further research should clarify whether this socially induced bias may also operate in secondary care by generating false positives.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Poitiers, France.|National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), France.
authors.forename: Marie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mazerolle
authors.affiliation: Aix-Marseille Univ, CNRS, LPC, Marseille, France.
authors.forename: Isabelle
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Régner
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, San Francisco State University, California.
authors.forename: Sarah J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Barber
authors.affiliation: EA3808 Molecular Targets and Therapeutics of Alzheimer's Disease, University of Poitiers, France.|Centre Mémoire de Ressources et de Recherche and Geriatrics Department, Poitiers University Hospital, France.
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Paccalin
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Poitiers, France.
authors.forename: Aimé-Chris
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Miazola
authors.affiliation: National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), France.|Blaise Pascal Université, Clermont Ferrand, France.
authors.forename: Pascal
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Huguet
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Poitiers, France.|National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), France.
authors.forename: François
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rigalleau
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D063506:Ageism / Q000523:psychology*; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*; D001007:Anxiety / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D060825:Cognitive Dysfunction / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D008609:Mental Status Schedule / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013240:Stereotyping
keywords: Aging stereotypes; Dementia; MMSE; Mild Cognitive Impairment; MoCA