The impact of meta-stereotypes on older adults' cooperative behavior and the role of vicarious intergroup contact
As population aging accelerates, intergroup relations between older adults and younger people have gained societal attention. Prosocial interactions, especially cooperative behavior between the two groups, significantly impact intergenerational relationships and older adults' well-being. Howeve...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-09-01
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| Series: | Acta Psychologica |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001691825006912 |
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| author | Lu Liu Yi Guo Shuling Chen Xiaoyang Yang |
| author_facet | Lu Liu Yi Guo Shuling Chen Xiaoyang Yang |
| author_sort | Lu Liu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | As population aging accelerates, intergroup relations between older adults and younger people have gained societal attention. Prosocial interactions, especially cooperative behavior between the two groups, significantly impact intergenerational relationships and older adults' well-being. However, negative effects of Meta-Stereotypes can influence cooperative behavior through intergroup anxiety. This study, through two experiments, explores the impact of meta-stereotype valence on older adults' cooperative behavior and the mediating role of intergroup anxiety, as well as the alleviating effect of vicarious intergroup contact. Study 1, using the Ultimatum Game paradigm, found that positive meta-stereotypes increased cooperative behavior by reducing intergroup anxiety, while negative meta-stereotypes decreased cooperative behavior by increasing anxiety, with anxiety fully mediating the effect. Study 2 demonstrated that vicarious intergroup contact effectively reduced intergroup anxiety and enhanced cooperative behavior, mitigating the negative impact of Meta-Stereotypes. In conclusion, Meta-Stereotypes affect older adults' cooperative behavior by influencing intergroup anxiety, following the reciprocity principle. Vicarious intergroup contact is an effective intervention to alleviate anxiety and improve cooperative behavior, promoting harmonious coexistence between older adults and younger generations. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-b5493e0f70ed414982d8f3ec64d8e748 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0001-6918 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-09-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Acta Psychologica |
| spelling | doaj-art-b5493e0f70ed414982d8f3ec64d8e7482025-08-23T04:47:18ZengElsevierActa Psychologica0001-69182025-09-0125910537810.1016/j.actpsy.2025.105378The impact of meta-stereotypes on older adults' cooperative behavior and the role of vicarious intergroup contactLu Liu0Yi Guo1Shuling Chen2Xiaoyang Yang3Department of Psychology, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu 610066, ChinaDepartment of Psychology, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu 610066, ChinaDepartment of Psychology, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu 610066, China; Sichuan Key Laboratory of Psychology and Behavior of Discipline Inspection and Supervision, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu 610066, ChinaDepartment of Psychology, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu 610066, China; Sichuan Key Laboratory of Psychology and Behavior of Discipline Inspection and Supervision, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu 610066, China; Corresponding author at: Department of Psychology, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu 610066, China.As population aging accelerates, intergroup relations between older adults and younger people have gained societal attention. Prosocial interactions, especially cooperative behavior between the two groups, significantly impact intergenerational relationships and older adults' well-being. However, negative effects of Meta-Stereotypes can influence cooperative behavior through intergroup anxiety. This study, through two experiments, explores the impact of meta-stereotype valence on older adults' cooperative behavior and the mediating role of intergroup anxiety, as well as the alleviating effect of vicarious intergroup contact. Study 1, using the Ultimatum Game paradigm, found that positive meta-stereotypes increased cooperative behavior by reducing intergroup anxiety, while negative meta-stereotypes decreased cooperative behavior by increasing anxiety, with anxiety fully mediating the effect. Study 2 demonstrated that vicarious intergroup contact effectively reduced intergroup anxiety and enhanced cooperative behavior, mitigating the negative impact of Meta-Stereotypes. In conclusion, Meta-Stereotypes affect older adults' cooperative behavior by influencing intergroup anxiety, following the reciprocity principle. Vicarious intergroup contact is an effective intervention to alleviate anxiety and improve cooperative behavior, promoting harmonious coexistence between older adults and younger generations.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001691825006912Older adultsMeta-stereotypesCooperative behaviorIntergroup anxietyVicarious intergroup contact |
| spellingShingle | Lu Liu Yi Guo Shuling Chen Xiaoyang Yang The impact of meta-stereotypes on older adults' cooperative behavior and the role of vicarious intergroup contact Acta Psychologica Older adults Meta-stereotypes Cooperative behavior Intergroup anxiety Vicarious intergroup contact |
| title | The impact of meta-stereotypes on older adults' cooperative behavior and the role of vicarious intergroup contact |
| title_full | The impact of meta-stereotypes on older adults' cooperative behavior and the role of vicarious intergroup contact |
| title_fullStr | The impact of meta-stereotypes on older adults' cooperative behavior and the role of vicarious intergroup contact |
| title_full_unstemmed | The impact of meta-stereotypes on older adults' cooperative behavior and the role of vicarious intergroup contact |
| title_short | The impact of meta-stereotypes on older adults' cooperative behavior and the role of vicarious intergroup contact |
| title_sort | impact of meta stereotypes on older adults cooperative behavior and the role of vicarious intergroup contact |
| topic | Older adults Meta-stereotypes Cooperative behavior Intergroup anxiety Vicarious intergroup contact |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001691825006912 |
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