"Life Stage-Specific" Variations in Performance in Response to Age Stereotypes

In a test of life stage-specific responses to age-based stigma, older (n = 54, ages 62-92) and younger (n = 81, ages 17-22) adults were told that a task (Weschler Adult Intelligence Scale-III block design) required either (a) speed/contemporary knowledge (YA; "youth advantage") or (b) life...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inDevelopmental psychology Vol. 49; no. 7; pp. 1396 - 1406
Main Authors Hehman, Jessica A, Bugental, Daphne Blunt
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States American Psychological Association 01.07.2013
Subjects
Adolescent
Age Differences
Age Factors
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Aptitude
Bias
Female
Humans
Intelligence Tests
Male
Middle Aged
Neuropsychological Tests
Older Adults
Reaction Time
Regression (Statistics)
Responses
Self Concept
Social Stigma
Stereotypes
Stereotyping
Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale
Young Adult
Young Adults
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Summary:In a test of life stage-specific responses to age-based stigma, older (n = 54, ages 62-92) and younger (n = 81, ages 17-22) adults were told that a task (Weschler Adult Intelligence Scale-III block design) required either (a) speed/contemporary knowledge (YA; "youth advantage") or (b) life experience/wisdom (OA; "age advantage"). In order to investigate the role of individuals' own perceptual biases in response to age-based stigma, participants also completed a measure of perceived personal control of their life outcomes. Older adults showed lower performance on the task as a result of the additive effects of (a) exposure to a negative age-relevant stereotype and (b) being under the perceived control of others. Younger adults, however, showed higher performance on the task as a result of exposure to a negative age-relevant stereotype (a stereotype challenge effect, disconfirming the stereotype)--but only if they saw themselves under the control of powerful others. The opposed responses of the 2 age groups are interpreted as reflecting (a) differences in the permanence of their group membership and (b) uniqueness of age-based stigma. To our knowledge, this is the first test of the effects of age-relevant stereotypes on younger adults.
ISSN:0012-1649
1939-0599
DOI:10.1037/a0029559