ATTITUDES TOWARD OLDER ADULTS REPORTED BY YOUNG-ADULTS - VARIATION BASED ON ATTITUDINAL TASK AND ATTRIBUTE CATEGORIES

Negative attitudes toward older adults are thought to be prevalent wit hin the American culture. However, research on attitudes presents conf licting results. In this study, 2 factors were hypothesized to influen ce reported attitudes toward older adults: the attitudinal instrument used (a rating task vs. an open-ended task) and the types of attribute s assessed (cognitive, personal-expressive, and physical). The results confirmed that attitudes toward older adults were negative relative t o attitudes toward younger and middle-aged adults,but the pattern of n egativity differed by task and attribute category. Negativity was most apparent in the open-ended task and in the physical category. These r esults indicate that although general, negative stereotypes may exist. older adults are viewed as multidimensional people with both positive and negative attributes.