The Effects of Interpersonal Discrimination on Older Adults’ Pill Sorting Task Performance and Interactions

Date
2020-04-23
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Abstract

Previous research has shown that negative stereotypes against older adults exist and lead to discrimination across a wide variety of contexts. The current study examined the effects of discrimination on health-related task performance on a pill sorting task. A sample of 63 older adults interacted with a confederate who either behaved with interpersonal discrimination or neutrality. Participants reported their psychological state at three timepoints. They completed health-related tasks. Lastly, they evaluated the confederate and their intentions to return for future interactions. Contrary to hypotheses, participants in the discrimination condition performed better than participants in the control condition on a pill sorting task. This was not mediated by their psychological state. Participants evaluated the confederate in the discrimination condition more negatively than in the control condition. There are implications for the effects of discrimination on health-related outcomes, including task performance, subjective experience, and engagement.

Description
Degree
Master of Arts
Type
Thesis
Keywords
age, discrimination, cognitive load, medication adherence, healthcare
Citation

Ng, Linnea C. "The Effects of Interpersonal Discrimination on Older Adults’ Pill Sorting Task Performance and Interactions." (2020) Master’s Thesis, Rice University. https://hdl.handle.net/1911/108408.

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