Americans stereotype elderly people as warm and incompetent, following from perceptions of them as noncompetitive and low status, respectively. This article extends existing research regarding stereotyping of older people in two ways. First, we discuss whether the mixed elderly stereotype is unique to American culture. Data from six non-U.S. countries, including three collectivist cultures, demonstrate elderly stereotypes are consistent across varied cultures. Second, we investigate the persistence of the evaluatively-mixed nature of the elderly stereotype. In an experiment, 55 college students rated less competent elderly targets (stereotype-consistent) as warmer than more competent (stereotype-inconsistent) and control elderly targets. We also discuss the type of discrimination—social exclusion—that elderly people often endure.

This Old Stereotype: The Pervasiveness and Persistence of the Elderly Stereotype

For decades, researchers have discovered much about how humans automatically categorize others in social perception. Some categorizations—race, gender, and age—are so automatic that they are termed “primitive categories.” As we categorize, we often develop stereotypes about the categories. Researchers know much about racism and sexism, but comparatively little about prejudicing and stereotyping based on age. The articles in this issue highlight the current empirical and theoretical work by researchers in gerontology, psychology, communication, and related fields on understanding the origins and consequences of stereotyping and prejudicing against older adults. With the aging baby boomer demographic, it is especially timely for researchers to work to understand how society can shed its institutionalized ageism and promote respect for elders.

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Ageism: Prejudice Against Our Feared Future Self

Occupational science is an emerging basic science which supports the practice of occupational therapy. Its roots in the rich traditions of occupational therapy are explored and its current configuration is introduced. Specifications which the science needs to meet as it is further developed and refined are presented. Compatible disciplines and research approaches are identified. example's of basic science research questions and their potential contributions to occupational therapy practice are suggested.

An introduction to occupational science : A foundation for occupational therapy in the 21st century

Nine subscales of the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) were examined for caregivers of dementia patients. Caregivers (N = 184) were divided into groups on the basis of age (less than or equal to 59 and 60+ ) and gender. Their scores were compared with age-matched norms. All of the caregiving groups were significantly elevated on the Hostility subscale. Both younger and older women scored higher than the norms on the Anxiety subscale, and the older women were significantly elevated on three other subscales as well. The Anxiety and Hostility subscales of the BSI were most strongly correlated with the Burden Interview, a measure of the demands imposed by caregiving activities. This relation between burden and symptomatology highlights the stressful nature of caregiving.

Symptoms of psychological distress among caregivers of dementia patients.

Occupational science is an emerging discipline which has the potential to support the practice and study of occupational therapy and contribute new knowledge to society. It originated in the values and traditions of occupational therapy as articulated by Adolph Meyer, the “occupational behavior” framework of Mary Reilly, the spirit of Jean Ayres’ clinical practice for children, and the work of a community of scholars at the University of Southern California. Occupational science is a new, interdisciplinary synthesis of basic knowledge concerning the human as an occupational being. Disciplines contributing to the science are identified according to their congruence with the root beliefs of occupational therapy. The core courses constituting the new doctor of philosophy degree in occupational science are described. Finally, assumptions supporting occupational science such as the importance of skill, holism, and an optimistic view of human nature are made explicit. Occupational science is a promisin...

Occupational science: A new source of power for participants in occupational therapy

Ageism revised and the provision of psychological services.

Health and mental health in older adults: First steps in the study of a pedestrian complaint.

The 1980s may well be remembered as the decade of the older woman. Older women, especially those aged 75 and older, are the fastest growing portion of the U.S. population. According to the 1980 census, 11.3 percent of the population are 65 or older and, within this group, there are half again as many women as there are men. Furthermore, over 40 percent of women aged 65 and older are living alone (U.S. Department of Commerce, 1978). The median yearly income for women 65 and older, as of 1980, was $4,226. More than 2.7 million older women live below the poverty line, with older women living alone overrepresented among this group (USDC, 1981). This large, growing and economically disadvantaged population is currently emerging from the invisibility it had been accorded in past decades.

Older Women and Mental Health

Many conference reports have urged various strategies to increase the numbers of mental health service providers to the aged. The effectiveness of two strategies-specialized training and the infusion of gerontological content into regular professional curricula-were addressed in a program evaluation. Two groups of clinical psychology doctoral trainees were assessed on knowledge, attitudes, and akills. One group was in a special clinical-aging track; the other had different primary interests but-by virtue of being in the same graduate program-encountered gerontological content. The results support the suggestion that exposure to aging indirectly can contribute to increased knowledge and sophistication.

Training clinical psychology students in aging.

Among the services thought to be essential to maintaining frail and vulnerable older adults in their own homes is emergency assistance when needed. A variety of electronic technological systems are now available to provide such a service. This paper reports some initial results from an evaluation of one program, Emergency Alert Response System (or EARS). The EARS program uses equipment from Lifeline Systems, Inc.

Cynthia Pearson

Papers

Ageism revised and the provision of psychological services.

Health and mental health in older adults: First steps in the study of a pedestrian complaint.

Older Women and Mental Health

Training clinical psychology students in aging.

Evaluation of a Personal Emergency Response System