Communication With Older Adults The Influence of Age Stereotypes, Context, and Communicator Age

Abstract

Forty young, 40 middle-aged, and 40 older adults rated their beliefi about the vocal style that they would use in addressing two older targets-onefitting a negative (Despondent) and one a positive (Golden Aged stereotype. Participants also gave oral messages to the two targets in either a hospital or community context. Supporting a stereotype-sensitive model of the communication and aging process, participants' beli#s and messages revealed a greater tendency to use patronizing talk with the Despondent target than with the Golden Ager. In addition, the extent and type of patronizing talk (overly nurturing or directive) to the targets was afected by the context in which the target was presentedand the age of the communicator. In particular, the number ofdirective/patronizing messages to Golden Ager targets increased sign+cantly in the hospital context. Finally, older participants were less likely to give patronizing messages to all targets than were youngw participants.erceptions of declining abilities with advancing age have been documented in beliefs about memory skills (Heckhausen,

Age coding: On age-based practices of distinction

“…Similar to language used with small children, it can be characterized by its rhythmic cadence, high pitch and communication of a positive mood (Culbertson & Caporeal 1983, see also, e.g. Hummert et al 1998;Nelson 2005;Ryan et al 1995 who use the term ''patronizing communication''). Studies show that caregivers use this form of communication because they ascribe poorer cognitive capabilities to the elderly and assume that they Á unlike other age categories Á prefer this type of speech .…”

Harmonies and tensions in Chinese intergenerational communication

“…The CPA suggests that younger adults' negative stereotypical views of older adults influence their expectations and conversational styles in intergenerational communication, ultimately resulting in inappropriate behavioral modifications (e.g., overaccommodation to negative age stereotypes or patronizing talk) that carry potential dangers for older adults' psychological and physiological well-being. Although initially focused on the predicament engendered when younger persons were in a position of caregiving to older persons, the model has been developed and elaborated in subsequent research as a useful heuristic for understanding intergenerational communication in many contexts (Giles & Williams, 1994;Harwood et al, 1995;Hummert, 1994;Hummert et al, 1998;Williams & Giles, 1996). This study contributes to the body of research on the CPA, showing how Xiao and hierarchical age relationships contextualize the model within the PRC.…”

“…Research has not only supported the basic tenets of the CPA model (see Harwood, Giles, & Ryan, 1995;Ryan, Hummert, & Boich, 1995), but has extended the model to encompass the operation of positive as well as negative age stereotypes (Hummert, 1994;Hummert, Garstka, Shaner, & Henry, 1998), and potentially harmful and unsatisfactory old-to-young and young-to-old communication . Harmonies and tensions in Chinese intergenerational communication: Younger and older adults' accounts.…”

“…These stereotypes, in turn, suggest the need for speech accommodations on the part of the younger communicator (e.g., slow speech, loud speech, and simplified vocabulary) to help the older person to process the talk. Unfortunately, according to the CPA model, this over-accommodation to negative age stereotypes may create a negative feedback cycle for older individuals, leading to loss of self-esteem, emotional decline, and reinforcement of age stereotypical behaviors.Research has not only supported the basic tenets of the CPA model (see Harwood, Giles, & Ryan, 1995;Ryan, Hummert, & Boich, 1995), but has extended the model to encompass the operation of positive as well as negative age stereotypes (Hummert, 1994;Hummert, Garstka, Shaner, & Henry, 1998), and potentially harmful and unsatisfactory old-to-young and young-to-old communication . Harmonies and tensions in Chinese intergenerational communication: Younger and older adults' accounts.…”

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“…However, repeated practice on the same task (Kemper et al, 1998c), listener speech suggesting cognitive impairment (Kemper et al, 1998b), and simulation of speech to adults experiencing cognitive problems rather than living healthy, independent lives in the community (Kemper et al, 1998a) do lead to exaggerated forms of elderspeak in a referential communication task, suggestive of responsiveness to the communicative needs of partners in this task. Older adults also receive more patronizing messages in a simulated persuasion task, especially if targets are described negatively (Hummert et al, 1998).…”