Hesitant to label, yet quick to judge: How cultural mindsets affect the accessibility of stereotypic knowledge when concepts of the elderly are primed

The processing strategies that are activated by cultural mindsets can influence the type of stereotypic knowledge that people draw upon when they encounter a member of a social category. Five experiments show that participants with a collectivist mindset are less likely to use trait descriptions and respond more slowly to traits when they are primed with a concept of the elderly than when they are not. However, they are more likely to use trait-related behaviors and respond more quickly to behaviors in the former condition. These differences suggest that cultural mindsets do not simply affect the likelihood of applying stereotypes. In addition, they influence the type of stereotypic knowledge that comes to mind when people encounter a member of a stereotyped group. This has important implications for how elderly employees are judged and treated in an organizational setting.