Stereotype Threat, Intergenerational Contact, and Performance among the Elderly across Cultures: A Comparative Study of France and Indonesia

Abstract

In the present research, we examined cross-cultural generalizability of the roles of anxiety and intergenerational contact in age-based stereotype threat (ABST). To this end, we conducted studies in France (individualistic culture) and Indonesia (collectivistic culture). In the main study, elderly participants in France and in Indonesia completed the Digit Span task that was presented as memory (high-threat) or cognitive strategy task (low-threat). Using the bootstrapping method, we found that, in both countries, stereotype threat led to lowered performance among the elderly who had little or no contact with the young. Those with positive contacts, on the other hand, showed no performance decrement under high (vs. low) threat. Highlighting the importance of culture, performance anxiety mediates the effects of threat on the performance of the French elderly, versus intergroup anxiety for the Indonesians. Self-construal (independent vs. interdependent) associated with cultural orientation (individualistic vs. collectivistic) was proposed to explain the cultural difference in the type of anxiety as a mediator. This not only leads to suggestions for future research but also for possible real-life intervention strategies.