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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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Stereotypes, stereotype threat and ageing
— implications for the understanding and treatment of people with Alzheimer's disease | | Author(s) | Jane M Scholl, Steven R Sabat |
| Journal title | Ageing and Society, vol 28, part 1, January 2008 |
| Pages | pp 103-130 |
| Source | http://www.journals.cambridge.org/ASO |
| Keywords | Dementia ; Personality ; Ageism ; Medical care ; Theory ; Literature reviews. |
| Annotation | Over the past 15 years, a growing body of research has shown that people with Alzheimer's disease (AD) are affected not only by brain neuropathology but also by their reactions to its effects, by the environment in which they live, and by how they are treated by others. Nevertheless, three relatively neglected social influences on people with AD remain to be examined: negative stereotyping, negative self-stereotyping and stereotype threat. Numerous studies reviewed in this paper indicate first, that negative self-stereotypes at conscious and unconscious levels can have adverse effects on the performance of healthy older people on tasks demanding explicit memory (recall in particular); and second, that the mere threat of being stereotyped negatively can have adverse effects on the performance of healthy older people on tasks including those involving memory. In this paper, the authors discuss the relevance of these phenomena for our understanding and treatment of people with AD who are exposed to negative stereotype about old age and about AD before and after they are diagnosed. There is evidence to suggest that these influences may have significant effects on people with AD. The paper concludes with recommendations for best practice in the treatment of people with AD in the light of the most apparent effects of negative self-stereotyping and stereotype threat. These include advocacy for an approach that involves aspects of counselling. (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-071221006 A |
| Classmark | EA: DK: B:TOB: LK: 4D: 64A |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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