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Improving Attitudes Regarding the Elderly Population

The Effects of Information and Reinforcement for Change

^a University of Medicine & Dentistry, Edison, New Jersey
^b Department of Psychology, University of Wyoming, Laramie

Correspondence: Amie M. Ragan, PhD, University of Medicine & Dentistry New Jersey, 100 Metroplex Drive–Suite 200, Edison, NJ 08817. E-mail: raganam{at}cmhc.umdnj.edu.

Decision Editor: Laurence G. Branch, PhD

Purpose: Altering negative attitudes associated with ageism may be possible by giving people accurate information about older people in conjunction with reinforcement for change. Design and Methods: Ninety-nine college students (35 men, 63 women; mean age = 20 years, SD = 2.78) participated in one of three groups: information only, information plus an innocuous discussion group, and information plus a reinforcement-to-change discussion group. The participants' attitudes toward elderly people were measured before, immediately after the intervention, and at a one-month follow-up. Changes in attitudes across groups and time were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and t tests. Results: Information alone produced initial improvements in attitudes in all groups; however, only the group members who received additional reinforcement for change maintained positive attitude changes at one-month follow-up. Implications:This study supports the premise that negative attitudes toward older people are amendable; however, the new attitude may be lost without reinforcement for change.

Key Words: Ageism • Discrimination • Prejudice