Understanding Age-Related Stereotypes: Insights and Perspectives

1. Psyc 339 Ch. 1

2. What are your views? • Please write down the first words or phrases that come to mind when you think of someone who is over the age of 65.

3. Demographics of Canada • David Foot: Boom, Bust & Echo

4. What are your views? • Please write down the first words or phrases that come to mind when you think of someone who is over the age of 65. • Please write down the first words or phrases that come to mind when you think of someone who is between the ages of 18 and 30.

5. What is a stereotype? • A generalization about a group of people in which identical characteristics are assigned to virtually all members of the group, regardless of actual variation among the members (Aronson et al., 2000).

6. Where do stereotypes originate? • Family and friends

7. Where do stereotypes originate? • Family and friends • School (Ekstrom et al., 1976) • Youth Beauty Life Age _____ Death

8. Media • advertising

9. Media • advertising • television

10. Media • advertising • television • movies

12. Media • advertising • television • movies • greeting cards • Age specific paper birthday cards • 67% represent aging in a –ve manner (Ellis & Morrison, 2005)

17. Documented Age-Related Stereotypes • Multiple Stereotypes

18. Younger Adults Stereotypes of Older Adults • 3 positive; 5 negative (Hummert, 1994) • Positive • golden ager • perfect grandparent • John Wayne conservative

19. Younger Adults Stereotypes of Older Adults (cont’d) • Negative stereotypes • shrew/curmudgeon • despondent • vulnerable • severely impaired • recluse

20. Consequences of Negative Stereotypes • Prejudice - evaluation

21. Consequences of Negative Stereotypes • Prejudice - evaluation • Discrimination - action

22. Consequences of Negative Stereotypes • Prejudice - evaluation • Discrimination - action • Ageism (Butler, 1969)

23. Told an ageist joke “You’re too old” Ailments caused by age Patronized Assumed I could not hear Assumed I could not understand Ageist birthday cards Ignored/not taken seriously Not treated with dignity or respect Called an insulting name Rejected as unattractive The Most Common Types of Ageism (Palmore, 2001)

24. Improving attitudes • Intergenerational interactions • contact theory

25. Improving attitudes • Intergenerational interactions • contact theory (Allport, 1954) • mentoring programs

26. Improving attitudes • Increase intergenerational interactions • contact theory (Allport, 1954) • mentoring programs • intergenerational shared site programs • nursing home/childcare • adult day service centers/childcare centers • e.g., Schultz, 1976

27. Improving attitudes (cont’d) • Education/Information • e.g., Ragan and Bowen, 2001 Grp 1 Information Only Grp 2 Info plus innocuous discussion grp Grp 3 Info plus reinforcing discussion grp

28. Improving attitudes (cont’d) • Education/Information • e.g., Ragan and Bowen, 2001 Grp 1 Information Only Grp 2 Info plus innocuous discussion grp Grp 3 Info plus reinforcing discussion grp Results: Info alone initial improvements Info plus reinf +ve change at 1 mo. follow-up

29. Summary • Multiple age-related stereotypes exist. • There are methods to reduce negative stereotypes. • We need to: • educate others • reinforce positive age-related stereotypes • adopt positive age-related behaviours.

30. A Message from CARP

31. Chronological age vs. functional age (Birren, 1969) • Young-old s. old-old • Refers to health and social chars (Neugarten, 1974) • The fourth age = after 80 years(Baltes, 1997)