dissertationAnecdotal evidence exists for a stereotype of poor elderly driving performance but this stereotype has not been empirically documented despite possible detrimental effects through stereotype threat. Study 1, Experiment 1, measured implicit and explicit associations between aging and driving in older (>60) and younger (<31) adults. Individual differences in attentional control were measured using an operation span (OSPAN), working memory task. Associations between advanced age and impaired driving were found in both groups, and individual differences in attentional control correlated with implicit associations for older, but not younger adults. Study 1, Experiment 2, determined the extent to which attentional control moderates the stereotype's implicit expression in young adults. Younger adults in Experiment 2 took the implicit association test (IAT) twice. Half were asked to control the stereotype by responding as if they were an older adult the second time. In this latter condition, individual differences in attention control predicted young adults' change in IAT scores. Older adults from Study 1 also participated in Study 2. To test for the effects of stereotype threat, participants completed a car following scenario in a driving simulator, either under stereotype threat or control conditions. Dependent measures included brake reaction time, following distance, and collision occurrence. Compared to the control group, participants under stereotype threat were over six times more likely to collide with other vehicles. Further, under stereotype threat, participants lower in attentional control showed increased brake reaction times and following distances; a pattern often associated with distracted/impaired driving
