关键词: 老年人, 孤独刻板印象, 信任, 认知资源, 情绪动机

Abstract: In recent years, cases of fraud targeting older adults have been on the rise, with many scammers exploiting age-related stereotypes to manipulate their trust and successfully commit fraudulent acts. Among these, the loneliness stereotype—a pervasive and negative aging stereotype—may also influence older adults' trust behaviors. However, existing research has yet to systematically examine the relationship between loneliness stereotypes and trust in older adults, as well as the underlying psychological mechanisms. More importantly, socioemotional selectivity theory and dynamic integration theory provide theoretical explanations for understanding the impact of aging stereotypes on trust, while offering differing perspectives on the underlying mechanisms between these two variables. To address this gap, the present study investigates the relationship between loneliness stereotypes and trust decision-making, as well as the underlying mechanisms involved. This study consists of four experiments. Specifically, Study 1 examines the impact of loneliness stereotypes on trust decision-making. One hundred and eight older adults were randomly assigned to the loneliness stereotype activation group, the memory decline stereotype activation group, or the control group, where they read a paragraph of descriptive material before completing a trust game. Study 2 explores whether cognitive resources mediate the relationship between loneliness stereotypes and trust decision-making. One hundred and two older adults were randomly assigned to either the stereotype activation group or the control group, read the same material, and then completed an adapted facial trustworthiness evaluation task, with viewing time manipulated at two levels (500 ms vs. 3000 ms). Study 3 investigates whether emotional motivation serves as the underlying mechanism in the relationship between loneliness stereotypes and trust decision-making. One hundred and seven older adults were randomly assigned to one of four groups: Stereotype Activation-Goal Priming, Stereotype Activation-Non-Goal Priming, General Context-Goal Priming, or General Context-Non-Goal Priming. After reading the same material as in Study 1, participants completed a lexical judgment task and an adapted trust game. Study 4 examines the mediating role of future time perspective. Seventy-two older adults were randomly assigned to the same groups as in Study 2, read the same material, and then completed a measurement of future time perspective and a facial trustworthiness evaluation task. The results show that loneliness stereotypes increase the trust levels of older adults, whereas the memory decline stereotype did not significantly affect their trust (Study 1). Moreover, the effect of loneliness stereotypes on trust is moderated by cognitive resources: adequate cognitive resources amplify the impact of loneliness stereotypes on trust, indicating that insufficient cognitive resources are not the mechanism underlying the effect of loneliness stereotypes (Study 2). Third, unconscious goal priming, as an intervention that manipulates motivation, can effectively reduce the impact of loneliness stereotypes on trust decision-making. Specifically, after priming older adults' unconscious goals, the influence of loneliness stereotypes on trust became nonsignificant (Study 3). Finally, future time perspective mediates the relationship between loneliness stereotypes and trust in older adults, supporting the idea that emotional motivation induced by future time perspective under loneliness stereotypes leads to an increase in individuals' trust levels (Study 4). These findings suggest that, in the relationship between loneliness stereotypes and trust, motivations related to emotional significance may play a more crucial role. This study makes several theoretical and practical contributions. First, it focuses on the loneliness stereotype, a longstanding yet underexplored construct, thereby expanding research on the content of aging-related stereotypes. Second, it examines the relationship between loneliness stereotypes and trust decision-making, along with its mechanisms, enhancing our understanding of how negative stereotypes about aging influence trust. This also contributes to the fields of aging stereotypes, socioemotional selectivity theory, and dynamic integration theory. Finally, it offers valuable insights for future tailored interventions aimed at reducing blind trust among older adults in real-world situations.

Key words: older adults, loneliness stereotype, trust, cognitive resources, emotional motivation