title: [Formula: see text]The effect of stereotype threat on older people's clinical cognitive outcomes: investigating the moderating role of dementia worry.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Numerous studies have shown that stereotype threat (ST) reduces older people's cognitive performance, but few have studied its impact on clinical cognitive outcomes. Our study was designed to further examine the impact of ST on the clinical assessment of older subjects' cognitive functioning, as well as the moderating role of fear of Alzheimer's Disease (AD) (or 'dementia worry').
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy-two neurologically normal (MMSE > 26) participants aged between 59 and 70 completed a set of neuropsychological tasks in either an ST or a positive condition (condition in which negative stereotypes were invalidated).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Regression-based path analyses showed that only participants who expressed moderate or high fear of AD underperformed on executive tasks in the ST condition compared to their counterparts in the positive condition. Moreover, in the ST condition, participants' performance on executive tasks was more impaired (relative to normative data) than in the positive condition. However, ST had no effect on memory and attention performance.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results showed that ST can cause older people to perform at pathological levels on executive tasks. Results highlight the need for clinicians to be cautious when conducting neuropsychological assessments of older people who express high levels of dementia worry.
authors.affiliation: a Psychology and Neurosciences of Cognition Unit , University of Liège , Liège , Belgium.
authors.forename: Megan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fresson
authors.affiliation: a Psychology and Neurosciences of Cognition Unit , University of Liège , Liège , Belgium.
authors.forename: Benoit
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Dardenne
authors.affiliation: a Psychology and Neurosciences of Cognition Unit , University of Liège , Liège , Belgium.
authors.forename: Marie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Geurten
authors.affiliation: a Psychology and Neurosciences of Cognition Unit , University of Liège , Liège , Belgium.
authors.forename: Thierry
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Meulemans
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D003704:Dementia / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013240:Stereotyping
keywords: Cognitive aging; dementia worry; neuropsychological assessment; stereotype threat