Older Adults’ Cognitive Performance: Effects of Stereotype Threat and Positively Valenced Information

Öz

Scientific study of aging was ignored for a long time, but with the aging of the world population, understanding all the dimensions of the aging process has become important. The present article focuses on the cognitive aging dimension and specifically on the effects of stereotype threat and the emotional valence of the information on memory performance. Society’s prejudiced and discriminatory attitudes toward aging, characterized as ageism, can lead to a decrease in the self-efficacy of older adults and lower their memory performance. Scientific findings showed that older adults’ memory performance decreases in a condition in which stereotype threat is created, compared to a condition in which it is reduced. The effects of stereotype threat on memory are observed even on tests that are often used to screen for predementia. Reducing threat by emphasizing that the tests are age-fair decreases both the probability of a predementia diagnosis and the age differences in test results. In addition to the effects of stereotype threat, the emotional valence of the measurement materials also affects the memory performance of older adults. Older adults’ attention is directed toward positive information. On memory tests that are expected to show age differences, older adults’ memory performance increases when the information is positive, compared to conditions in which it is neutral or negative. These findings show that older adults’ memory performance can change from one condition to another when social and emotional factors are controlled and that memory measurements do not solely reflect the underlying neural changes. Without considering the social, emotional, biological, and physical changes that occur with aging, cognitive aging findings can be biased. To overcome the biased views of cognitive aging that can contribute to ageism, unbiased scientific findings can be communicated to the public by using language that does not trigger prejudice and discrimination.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Cognitive aging
• aging
• ageism
• memory
• stereotype threat
• positivity bias

İleri Yetişkinlerde Bellek Performansı: Kalıp Yargı Tehdidinin ve Pozitif Duygu Değerine Sahip Bilginin Etkisi

Öz

Yaşlanmanın bilimsel olarak çalışılması uzun süre göz ardı edilmiş olsa da dünya nüfusunun yaşlanmasıyla birlikte artık yaşlanma sürecini tüm boyutları ile anlamak önem kazanmıştır. Yaşlanma çok boyutlu bir değişim sürecidir. Bu makalede bilişsel yaşlanma boyutuna odaklanılmış, bellek performansı ölçümlerinde kalıp yargı tehdidinin ve bilginin duygu değerinin etkisi vurgulanmıştır. Yaşa bağlı ayrımcılık olarak nitelendirilen toplumun yaşlanmaya karşı önyargılı ve ayrımcı tutumu, ileri yetişkinlerin öz yeterliklerinin düşmesine ve bellek performanslarının olabileceğinden daha düşük olarak ölçülmesine sebep olmaktadır. Bilimsel bulgular, ileri yetişkinlerin bellek performansının, ölçüm esnasında sosyal açıdan tehditkâr bir ortamın yaratıldığı koşullarda, tehdidin azaltıldığı koşullara kıyasla daha düşük olduğunu göstermiştir. Kalıp yargı tehdidinin bellek performansı üzerindeki olumsuz etkisi, nöral bozulma tanısı koymakta sıkça kullanılan testlerde dahi görülmektedir. Testlerin yaş farkı göstermediğinin vurgulanarak tehdidin azaltılması, ileri yetişkinlerin predemans tanısı alma olasılığını ve test sonuçlarında gözlemlenen yaş farklarını azaltmaktadır. Kalıp yargı tehdidinin yanında, ölçüm araçlarının duygu değeri de ileri yetişkinlerin bellek performansını etkilemektedir. İleri yetişkinlerin dikkati pozitif duygu değeri olan bilgiye doğru yönelmektedir. Yaşlanmaya bağlı performans düşüşlerinin beklenebileceği bellek ölçümlerinde pozitif duygu değeri olan bilgilerin kullanılması, nötr veya negatif duygu değeri olan bilgilerin kullanıldığı koşullara kıyasla ileri yetişkinlerin bellek performansını artırmaktadır. Bellek performansının bir durumdan diğerine sosyal ve duygusal faktörlerin kontrolü ile değişebiliyor olması, bellek ölçümlerinin sadece nöral temeldeki değişimleri yansıtmadığını ortaya koymaktadır. Yaşlanma ile gerçekleşen sosyal, duygusal, biyolojik ve fiziksel değişimler dikkate alınmadığında, bilişsel yaşlanma bulguları yanlı olmaya açıktır. Yaşa bağlı ayrımcılığa sebebiyet verebilen bilişsel yaşlanma ile ilgili yanlı bakış açılarının üstesinden gelmek, yansız bilimsel bulguların topluma aktarılması ve bu aktarımlarda önyargıyı tetiklemeyen dil kullanımı ile sağlanabilir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Bilişsel yaşlanma
• yaşlanma
• yaşa bağlı ayrımcılık
• bellek
• kalıp yargı tehdidi
• pozitiflik yanlılığı

Kaynakça

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