Discrepancies in episodic memory: different patterns of age stereotypes in item and source memory

Previous explorations covering various domains of stereotypes have provided solid evidence that the stereotype-consistent effect, i.e., better memory performance for stereotype-consistent vs. -inconsistent stimuli, emerged exclusively in source memory but not in item memory. Nonetheless, it remains debatable whether this pattern applies to one particular domain, age stereotypes, and to the situation of encountering new objects. To address these issues, the current experiment had 38 undergraduates (18–31 years) study sequential photographs of an elderly or a child performing stereotype-consistent and -inconsistent daily activities. Subsequent memory tests on descriptive phrases adopted the three-key paradigm. Three keys should be pressed respectively to indicate a previously seen action performed by the elderly or the child or new action. Data analyses on the discrimination index of Pr revealed reliable stereotype-inconsistent effect in item memory. Meanwhile, discrepancies arose as the profound stereotype-consistent effect was confirmed in source memory using the conditional source-identification measure (CSIM). For new stimuli, the stereotype-consistent effect also occurred in false alarms as more stereotype-consistent errors were made vs. inconsistent ones. These outcomes indicate that the stereotype-consistent effect occurs among multiple stereotype domains and across memory judgments of both encountered and novel objects considering age stereotypes, strengthening the dual-process model. Implications alerting the potential impairment from stereotypes as well as more research perspectives for future directions are given.