Lisbeth Drury

Direct and extended intergenerational contact and young people's attitudes towards older adults.

Research suggests that positive intergenerational contact can improve young peoples attitudes towards older adults. However, todays age‐segregated society may not provide ample opportunities for positive contact between younger and older adults to occur on a regular basis. In three studies, we investigated whether the positive attitudinal outcomes associated with direct contact might also stem from a more indirect form of intergenerational relationship: extended contact. In Study 1 (N = 70), extended contact was associated with more positive attitudes towards older adults even when controlling for direct intergenerational contact (contact frequency and contact quality). In Study 2 (N = 110), the positive effects of direct and extended contact on young peoples age‐related attitudes were mediated by reductions in intergroup anxiety and ageing anxiety. The mediational effects of intergroup anxiety were replicated in Study 3 (N = 95) and ingroup norms additionally emerged as a mediator of the positive effects of extended contact on young peoples attitudes towards older adults. Discussion focuses on the implications for strategies aimed at tackling ageism.

Old and Unemployable? How Age‐Based Stereotypes Affect Willingness to Hire Job Candidates

Across the world, people are required, or want, to work until an increasingly old age. But how might prospective employers view job applicants who have skills and qualities that they associate with older adults? This article draws on social role theory, age stereotypes and research on hiring biases, and reports three studies using age‐diverse North American participants. These studies reveal that: (1) positive older age stereotype characteristics are viewed less favorably as criteria for job hire, (2) even when the job role is low‐status, a younger stereotype profile tends to be preferred, and (3) an older stereotype profile is only considered hirable when the role is explicitly cast as subordinate to that of a candidate with a younger age profile. Implications for age‐positive selection procedures and ways to reduce the impact of implicit age biases are discussed.

Categorization by Age

The process of age categorization serves biological, psychological, and social functions by enabling us to deal with stimuli from the world around us more effectively. For instance, categorizing the self as belonging to a particular age group can inform and provide a meaningful social identity, which is fundamental to how we define and see ourselves (Harwood et al. 1995; Tajfel and Turner 1979; Tajfel 1981). Perceiving others’ age can inform our feelings and behavior toward them, and can underpin judgments about attractiveness, which is associated with reproductive success (Jokela 2009). In this entry, we draw on social psychological, cognitive, and evolutionary theories to provide an overview of categorization by age. After defining age categories or groups and providing examples of the subjective nature of their boundaries, we provide an overview of the cognitive processes underpinning how people perceive others’ age, the biological and social cues used to estimate, and categorize others by age. We consider the function of age categorization, both as a way of classifying others to simplify the world around us and classifying ourselves to help define our own identity. We then explore the social psychological and behavioral consequences or risks of age categorization and how it underpins age stereotypes, age prejudice, and aged-based discrimination.

The Positive and Negative Impact of an Intergenerational Digital Technology Education Programme on Younger People’s Perceptions of Older Adults

In order to meet the technological needs of older adults, and ensure digital inclusion, it is important for digital technology designers to accurately assess and understand older adults’ needs and requirements, free from the influence of societal assumptions of their capabilities. This study evaluated the impact of an intergenerational digital technology education programme on younger adults’ stereotypes of older people. Using an experimental design, results show that compared to a control group, students taking part in the programme subsequently rated older adults as more friendly but less competent. Practical implications for developing intergenerational education programmes are discussed.