The effect of age-related stereotypes on response initiation and execution

In 2 experiments, the authors investigated the effects of positive and nega tive stereotypes of older adults on response initiation and execution. Coll ege students were first primed with the word young or the word old, and the n produced an aimed hand movement in response to a positive or negative tra it. Results of the Ist experiment indicated that the participants produced the fastest and most forceful movements when the word "old" primed negative traits; they produced the slowest and least forceful responses when the wo rd old primed positive traits. In a 2nd experiment, the authors replicated these effects by using only the prime old, The results suggest that ageist responses extend beyond reaction time in a social judgment task.