Identifying antecedents and mechanisms of age-based stereotype threat

Older employees are stereotyped at work (e.g., as technophobic), making them susceptible to stereotype threat, or the concern of being reduced to a negative stereotype. Although consequences of age-based stereotype threat have been identified (e.g., poorer job attitudes), far less is known about workplace triggers and underlying mechanism. Three studies aimed to identify the workplace antecedents and mechanism underlying stereotype threat. Together, Studies 1a and 1b identified 10 potential antecedents associated with stereotype threat (e.g., being overlooked for training). Mediation analysis revealed that experiencing any of the potential antecedents was associated with increased age salience, which, in turn, was associated with greater feelings of stereotype threat. Study 2 manipulated three of the potential antecedents through short videos and found that experiencing the antecedents led to increased age salience and stereotype threat. This experimental approach complemented the cross-sectional nature of Studies 1a and 1b, providing evidence for the proposed causal pathways.