Stereotyping of older adults: the role of target facial cues and perceiver characteristics.
This 2-part study used photograph-age and photograph-stereotype sorting tasks to examine the role of target facial cues in stereotyping of older persons. As predicted, young, middle-aged, and older participants associated photographs of those who looked older and those with a neutral facial expression with fewer positive stereotypes than other photographs. Participants also selected fewer positive stereotypes for photographs of women than of men, except when the photographs showed old-old (80 years and over) men. Participant age affected stereotyping only of the photographs of old-old persons, with older participants selecting fewer positive stereotypes for those photographs than middle-aged and young participants. These results establish the importance of facial cues in the age stereotyping process and suggest age boundaries for positive stereotypes of men and women.
Hummert
M L
ML
Communication Studies Department, University of Kansas, Lawrence 66045, USA. hummertm@falcon.cc.ukans.edu
Garstka
T A
TA
Shaner
J L
JL
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D003463:Cues; D005149:Facial Expression; D005260:Female; D005783:Gender Identity; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010551:Personality; D012938:Social Perception; D013240:Stereotyping