"Now dear, what do you remember?" Patronizing communication and older eyewitnesses' memory performance

Previous eyewitness research has aimed to understand when age differences occur in eyewitness memory; however, few studies have explored the underlying social constructs that may explain why older adults sometimes perform more poorly as eyewitnesses. The current research examines stereotype assimilation and age-based rejection sensitivity as potential mechanisms for understanding age differences in eyewitness memory. The authors experimentally examined the effects of patronizing communication on memory performance. Findings from a structural equation model suggest that older adults' belief that they will be treated in an ageist way leads to certain instances of poorer eyewitness performance.