Exposure to Memory-Relevant versus Memory-Irrelevant Aging Stereotypes Differentially Affects Memory Self-Perceptions and Memory Test Scores of Young, Middle, and Older Age Adults.

This study examined the combined influence of assimilation and contrast effects on the memory self-efficacy and objective memory of young (ages 18-25,  = 114), middle-age (ages 26-59,  = 48), and older (ages 60-98,  = 59) adults. We reminded participants that they matched positive, not negative, memory-relevant or memory-irrelevant stereotypes of aging either before (experimental conditions) or after (control condition) they completed a memory self-efficacy questionnaire and took a memory test. Participants exposed to memory-relevant aging stereotypes prior to other measures reported higher memory self-efficacy than those exposed to memory-irrelevant stereotypes; this effect did not depend on age group.