Perceived status value regarding elderly individuals : assessing cultural influence.

Abstract

Western societies often view elderly individuals in a more negative view than other cultures around the world. This negative view is commonly referred to as ageism. The importance of understanding this demographic has increased exponentially in recent decades and stands to increase more rapidly with the impending maturation of those born during the baby boom. Fiske, Cuddy, Glick, and Xu (2002) developed The Stereotype Content Model (SCM) which distinguishes among different types of prejudice based on perceived status markers. The current study examined perceived status value toward elderly individuals using three influence scenarios and found that participants viewing no influence reported higher ratings on these markers when compared to those who viewed either positive or negative influences. Keywords. Elderly individuals, status value, ageism.