a Psychology and Neurosciences of Cognition Unit , University of Liège , Liège , Belgium.
Clin Neuropsychol. 2017 Nov;31(8):1306-1328. doi: 10.1080/13854046.2017.1307456. Epub 2017 Mar 28.
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').
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).
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.
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.
许多研究表明，刻板印象威胁（ST）会降低老年人的认知表现，但很少有研究探讨其对临床认知结果的影响。我们的研究旨在进一步研究 ST 对老年受试者认知功能临床评估的影响，以及对阿尔茨海默病（AD）恐惧（或“痴呆担忧”）的调节作用。
72 名神经正常（MMSE>26）的参与者年龄在 59 至 70 岁之间，在 ST 或积极条件（否定负面刻板印象的条件）下完成了一组神经心理学任务。
基于回归的路径分析表明，只有在 ST 条件下表达中度或高度 AD 恐惧的参与者在执行任务方面的表现不如积极条件下的对应者。此外，在 ST 条件下，参与者执行任务的表现比积极条件下更差（相对于正常数据）。然而，ST 对记忆和注意力表现没有影响。
我们的结果表明，ST 可能导致老年人在执行任务上表现出病理性水平。结果强调了临床医生在对表达高度痴呆担忧的老年人进行神经心理学评估时需要谨慎。
