Stereotypes Influence Destination Memory In Normal Aging

Abstract

Background/Study Context: A substantial body of literature suggests that stereotypes can play a determining role in making judgments about the source of information. This study investigated this issue for destination memory or remembering to whom information has been previously told.

Methods: Younger adults and older adults told six medical and six mechanical facts to a picture depicting a physician, and also told six different medical and six different mechanical facts to a picture depicting a mechanic. On a subsequent recognition task, participants had to decide to whom each fact had been previously told.

Results: Analysis showed better destination memory for destination-consistent facts than for inconsistent facts, a stereotypical tendency that was more apparent in older adults than in younger adults. Difficulties in attributing facts to their fact-inconsistent destination were reliably correlated with executive functions in younger adults and older adults.

Conclusion: Executive functions are likely to be required to monitor discrepancies between facts and their inconsistent destination, whereas no such monitoring is required when statements are consistent with their destination.