Grant: Summer Program in Aging

BACKGROUND: Ageism has been shown to influence cognitive, social, and physical functioning. Subliminal priming can alter behaviour without conscious awareness. Prior research shows that negative age stereotypes weaken memory and motor performance, while positive stereotypes may enhance functional outcomes. Ageism is also linked to heightened age-related anxiety and reduced self-efficacy, which can increase fear during physically challenging situations. Fear, particularly under conditions of perceived postural threat, can impair natural balance responses and elevate fall risk. OBJECTIVE: This study examines whether subliminal age-stereotype priming influences postural control in older adults when combined with an induced postural threat in a virtual reality (VR) environment. METHODS: Fifty community-dwelling adults aged 60-80 will complete a Physiological Profile Assessment to characterize functional age, followed by three experimental conditions. All participants will first complete a baseline condition involving subliminal priming with random neutral words while maintaining quiet stance on a force plate. Participants will then be randomly assigned to one of two groups: a positive age-stereotype priming group or a negative age-stereotype priming group. Each group will complete balance testing paired with subliminal priming under VR-simulated ground-level and elevated-height threat conditions. After the tasks, participants will report their self-perceived age to assess effects on age beliefs and self-efficacy. This mixed design will compare balance performance to performance following the priming interventions. ANTICIPATED RESULTS: We expect negative priming to impair stability and heighten anxiety under threat, while positive priming may buffer these effects. IMPLICATIONS: Findings will clarify how implicit age beliefs influence postural control in threatening environments and may identify cognitive-emotional pathways contributing to fall risk in older adults.