The goal of this application is to test the hypothesis that elderly people rely on stereotypes more and are more prejudiced than young people because of age-related reductions in the ability to inhibit information. A preliminary experiment revealed that elderly people relied on stereotypes even when instructed not to, whereas young people did not. Elderly people were also more prejudiced than young people, and these differences in stereotyping and prejudice were mediated by age differences in inhibitory ability. Because elderly people reported a stronger desire than young people to control their prejudiced reactions, these results suggest that reductions in inhibitory ability can cause people to become prejudiced against their will. In order to further examine this hypothesis, seven experiments are proposed. These experiments rely on a variety of different measures and manipulations to extend the findings of the preliminary experiment. Experiments are proposed that examine differences in inhibitory ability and stereotyping and prejudice among the elderly based on whether they live independently or in an assisted-living environment; whether they are on-cycle or off-cycle in their circadian rhythms; and whether the measures of stereotyping and prejudice are implicit or explicit. The goal of these experiments is to examine factors that influence inhibitory ability and stereotyping and prejudice among the elderly. Follow-up measures and studies are discussed that examine whether unintended stereotyping and prejudice among the elderly lead to feelings of guilt, loss of self-control, and negative mood states, which in turn are often associated with negative mental and physical health outcomes.
| Radvansky, Gabriel A; Copeland, David E; von Hippel, William (2010) Stereotype Activation, Inhibition, and Aging. J Exp Soc Psychol 46:51-60 |
| von Hippel, William; von Hippel, Courtney; Conway, Leanne et al. (2005) Coping with stereotype threat: denial as an impression management strategy. J Pers Soc Psychol 89:22-35 |
