Psychology Commons^™

Expectations About Memory Change Across The Life Span Are Impacted By Aging Stereotypes., Tara T. Lineweaver, Andrea K. Berger, Christopher Hertzog

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

This study examined whether expectations about memory change with age vary for different personality types. Four adjectives from each of Hummert’s age-stereotype trait sets were selected to create 11 adjective clusters varying in both valence (positive versus negative) and relevance to memory functioning. Three hundred and seventy three participants in three age groups rated the memory abilities of target adults, defined by the adjective clusters, across the adult life span. Consistent with past studies, participants believed in age-related memory decline. However, participants rated target adults with positive personality traits as having better memory ability and less age-related memory decline than …