Impact of Social Constructs on Stereotype Threat and Working Memory in Older Adults Laique, Aamir Psychology Culture Neuropsychology Older Adults Psychology Stigma Working Memory Introduction/Background: When individuals underperform in a task or situation due to fear of confirming a negative stereotype about themselves or a group they identify with, this psychological phenomenon is called “stereotype threat.”Objectives: This study focuses on older adults, who are often unfairly stereotyped as cognitively impaired. Declines in working memory (WM) can disrupt efficient information processing and both short- and long-term memory consolidation. Additionally, stigma consciousness and worry about developing dementia might influence this relationship, as these factors are particularly relevant to older adults. Methods: 103 older adults (Mage = 71.01 years old) recruited through ResearchMatch were screened via the telephone version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (T-MoCA), given two cognitive tests (WAIS-IV Digit Span Test and Arithmetic), Stigma Consciousness Questionnaire, Fear of Alzheimer’s Disease Scale, and a demographics questionnaire. Analysis completed through structural equational modeling and path analysis. Results: Our analysis did not reveal any significant findings in our path analysis or bivariate correlations. Thus, our hypotheses were not supported. Discussion: Despite the lack of findings, conducting a ST study by phone is an innovative approach that could expand research on ST outside traditional lab settings, where participants might otherwise feel less threatened and what this means for clinicians. Corrigan, Patrick W. 2024 Dissertation application/pdf islandora:1025478 Illinois Institute of Technology PSYC / Psychology en In Copyright http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/ Restricted Access