Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science (JCBS)
Volume 18, October 2020, Pages 48-52
Authors
Kohei Hashimoto, Takashi Muto, Samuel D. Spencer, Akihiko Masuda
Abstract
Behavioral assimilation to age stereotypes (BAAS) is referred to as the behavioral phenomenon of impaired task performance among older adults that is consistent with negative aging-related stereotypes. This laboratory study evaluated the inoculating effect of a contextual behavioral science (CBS)-informed intervention on a cognitive performance task (i.e., Block Design) among Japanese older adults who were primed with a negative aging-related stereotype. Fifty-nine older adult participants were randomly assigned to either the CBS-informed intervention group (n = 30) or attention-placebo control group (n = 29). The CBS-informed intervention group completed a self-as-observer exercise and rapid word repetition defusion task, whereas the attention-placebo control group received general conversation with the experimenter. The CBS-informed group showed significantly greater scores on the Block Design task than the attention-placebo control group. Fusion with a conceptualized self did not moderate the intervention effect. Limitations and implications of results are discussed.