Class 14 Flashcards
Why is Ageism a ‘Special Case’?
(7 reasons)
- Age is differentiated by biology & experience
- Social roles are strongly differentiated by age
- Age is complicated by familial relations
- Age is malleable
oYoung people will be old, and old people were once young - Age is continuous but can be perceived categorically
- Older people tend to be more powerful (to a point)
- There is a difference between “age identity” and “generational identity
What is Benevolent ageism?
Subjectively positive attitudes & beliefs about people on the basis of age that justify paternalistic care & the status quo
What characterizes benevolent sexism for old people?
Characterized by beliefs such as:
*Older people are physically weak
*Older people are mentally impaired
*Older people are lonely
*Older people are sociable and warm
What characterizes benevolent ageism for young people?
Characterized by beliefs such as:
*Young people are outgoing & fun
*Young people succumb to peer pressure
*Young people lack mental faculties & knowledge
*Young people are emotionally undeveloped
Ageism in Discrimination (field experiment)
researchers sent out fictitious resumes to companies that were hiring in either the restaurant or sales industries.
Across resumes, the applicants were listed as being either 31 or 46 years old.*
For the sales assistant job, the younger applicant was 4 times as likely to receive an interview. For the restaurant job, the younger applicant was 3 times as likely to receive an interview.
- Pattern held for whether the job was full-time vs. part-time or permanent vs. temporary
What are Implicit Attitudes About Age?
Found:
- Children have most positive views
- Then young adults, middle aged, and old
What intergenerational tension did they find between …
- with millennials
- With boomers
Millennials favoured themselves, and liked boomers less
Boomers favoured themselves, liked millennials left
How do boomers see millennials ?
Boomers see millennials as symbolic threat
- Moral code / values
“different moral code” or “do not uphold the country’s values”
How do millennials see boomers?
millennials see boomers as a realistic threat
- Boomers take more from country, and get more then they deserve
“get more from this country than they give” or “take up more than their fair share of jobs and houses”
Explain study: Egalitarianism and Ageism
Measured:
1) Egalitarianism Advocacy:
“My motivation for almost every activity I engage in is my desire for an egalitarian world”,
“I owe it to all people to work for greater opportunity and equality for all”
2) “Anti-Social Dominance Orientation”:
“Some groups are inferior to other groups” (reversed)
3) Hostile Racism:
“Women are seeking to gain power by getting control over men”
4) Hostile Sexism
“Black people are seeking to gain power by getting control over White people”
5) Hostile Ageism:
“Most older workers don’t know when it’s time to make way for the new generation”
And compares with egalitarian beliefs and anti - SDO (everyone is equal) beliefs
What did they find
They found a negative correlation with
Hostile Sexism:
Hostile Racism:
Hostile Ageism:
But found equality beliefs and anti-SDO did not negatively correlate with Hostile Agism
(so ppl who believe in equality still show hostile agism)
Why?
One Explanation: Older people are seen as “opportunity blockers” that work to prevent other under-represented groups from getting ahead
The experiences of people with disabilities are diverse and varies in:
- Visibility
- Controllability
- Disruptiveness
- Aesthetic qualities
- Peril
Visibility (“can you see it?”)
Controllability (“was it your fault?”)
Disruptiveness (“does it disrupt normal social living?”)
Aesthetic qualities (“does it impact perceptions of attractiveness?”)
Peril (“are you seen as dangerous because of it?”)
What is Ability?
(What are attitudes towards this?)
- People report positive general attitudes toward people with disabilities (PWDs)
How do people show prejudice towards people with disabilities?
However, other measures show strong prejudice:
- People are less willing to date or marry PWDs
- Strong implicit preferences for ‘abled’ over ‘disabled’ people
- PWDs commonly report experiences of discrimination
What are Mental Illnesses?
Mental illnesses are often seen as controllable
*Some forms of mental illness are highly linked to feelings of peril
What does stigma cause for ppl with mental illnesses?
Stigma reduces likelihood that people will seek treatment for their mental illness
< 40% of people with mental illness have sought treatment
< Seeking mental illness treatment is stigmatizing in itself
Assumptions about Attractive People:
What is the Halo Effect?
Attractive people are thought to have more positive qualities
- Sociable, extraverted, popular, happy, assertive, etc
Assumptions about Attractive People:
How does a Self-fulfilling prophecy work?
The beautiful receive more social attention, which helps them develop good social skills.
*Highly attractive people
- Do develop good social interaction skills
- Report having more satisfying interactions with other
How does Attractiveness & Discrimination work with:
call-backs
More attractive men: 35% receive a callback.
Less attractive men: 29% receive a callback
More attractive women: 40% receive a callback.
Less attractive women: 32% receive a callback
How does discrimination work based on Skin Tone?
Lighter-skinned Black people are…
- Perceived to be more competent & sociable - Less likely to be stereotyped - Have higher income, SES & occupation outcomes
What might explain Preferences for Lighter Skin Tones?
Historically, darker skin tone was linked to working in the sun all day as a farmer or laborer. Light skin tone meant you had a privileged position
What is the exception with preference for lighter skin tone?
Exception: “Western” White people today want to have darker skin tones on average
- Status reversal: Being tanned means you have the privilege of going to the beach, vacation, etc
Study on skin tone and Afro-centric feature,
what did they find?
Darker skin tone and afro centric features increased the probability of being imprisoned
(Side note: Skin whitening industry is big)
What is special about weight stigma?
- Overweight people are assumed to be personally responsible for their weight
- Weight discrimination is common and not seen as personally problematic as in other domains (religion, race, etc.)
What are stereotypes about people who are overweight?
Lazy, lacking willpower, unintelligent, sloppy, dishonest
Are men or women more vulnerable to weight stigma?
Women. Greater pay discrimination, greater connection to gender roles, judged to be “overweight” at lower weight levels
What mental health outcomes is weight stigma associated with?
Low self-esteem, depression, suicide
How motivated are people to control prejudice with weight?
Less high for weight
What are the Ironic Effects of Weight Stigma?
(Study on Newspaper and Women)
(Female) participants read a fake newspaper article highlighting weight or smoking stigma:
Ex. “People who [are overweight/smoke] are at an increased risk of contracting [diabetes/lung cancer] and heart disease”
Participants higher in perceived weight later consumed more calories and had weaker beliefs in dietary control following exposure to the weight stigma information
Another study on weight Stigma:
Study on higher weight women looked at the psychological and physiological consequences of interacting with an explicitly anti-fat person
Participants completed a “get to know you” questionnaire and then looked over the questionnaire of the person they believed they would soon be interacting with. They then had a brief interaction with the person (actually a study confederate).
Believed they either hated fat ppl or control
FOUND:
- In the weight bias condition, the person indicated agreement with some anti-fat attitudes, such as, “Some people are fat because they have no willpower”
- In the “control” condition, the person disagreed with these items (at a level that reflected the average of other students at the university)
What were the psychological and physiological changes experienced by Women exposed to the anti-fat peer?
(4 things)
1) Greater feelings of anticipated rejection from the interaction partner, particularly for women higher in BMI.
2) Greater feelings of anger.
3) Greater heart-rate reactivity (a measure previously connected to feelings of threat)
4) Worse cognitive performance (finding words in a game of Boggle)
Are these: Age, Weight, Disability and Skin Tone Biases reducing?
They are persisting
- Long standing and somewhat socially accepted
What are some growing areas Stigma Research?
- Androgyny
- Singlehood
- “Voluntary childlessness”
- Consensual non-monogamy
