Stereotypes Age Mediation Conflict Resolution Age Stereotypes A

Stereotypes: Age Mediation & Conflict Resolution

Age Stereotypes A number of age stereotypes are related to a person’s level of communication Perceived vocal age Off-topic verbosity (narratives which drift away from starting point) Appearance Age-related stereotypes may be positive or negative Positive: Active adults, Well-informed or experienced Negative: Decreased cognition (ex: forgetful), closed-minded, depressed or lonely A Person’s perception of age stereotypes influences their method of communication Positive: affirming messages, longer messages, more complex and personalized Negative: overtly nurturing, shorter messages, simple messages

Communication Predicament of Aging (CPA) Model Developed by Ryan, Meredith, Mac. Clean& Orange (1995) Proposes that: characteristics of an older person can act as cues that trigger age stereotypes patronizing speech is often produced in response to these stereotypes

Communication Predicament in Aging Model (Ryan, Meredith, Mac. Clean& Orange (1995)

What Causes Age Stereotypes? Explicit Stereotypes: intentional, conscious thoughts and beliefs directed towards a group of people, based on perception. Implicit Stereotypes: unconscious attribution of qualities onto a member of a certain social group. Influenced by experience and learned associations. According to the (CPA) Model: Age stereotypes are cyclical: bias reduces opportunities for meaningful conversation, leading to more stereotypes Repeated exposure to patronizing speech can result in avoidance of future interactions

Why study age stereotypes and the Communication Predicament of Aging Model? An understanding of the specific predictions of this model is critical to improving communicative interactions with older adults Any other reasons?

The Implicit Association Test (IAT) How the IAT works: subject uses computer keyboard to group “good” and “bad” words with images, as differences in response times are measured What does it measure? Implicit (unconscious) prejudice What is the importance of the IAT? The test creates an awareness of our stereotypes. These stereotypes can affect our decisions and behaviors without our even knowing it, undermining our conscious ideas and best intentions about equality and justice.

Discussion: IAT Age Test Results What were your results? Preference for Young, Preference for Old, Little to No Preference To what degree? Slight, moderate, strong, little to no preference Do you think this accurately describes you? Did you find anything about this activity interesting or surprising? What have you learned from the Age IAT? Did anyone take this test multiple times, or take one of the other IAT tests?

For next class: Monday 2/6 Topic: Small Group Communication Don’t forget about your journal entries, due Sunday by midnight