It has been generally concluded that the optical broad band color and
line index gradients observed in early-type galaxies are driven by met
allicity. Yet, this conclusion remains uncertain due to the age/metall
icity degeneracy inherent in most optical data. Furthermore, optical b
road-band colors are susceptible to reddening in the presence of dust.
Near-infrared colors, on the other hand, are significantly less age s
ensitive than optical colors in old stellar populations and are much l
ess affected by dust. In principle, the combination of optical and nea
r-IR data should provide less ambivalent age and metallicity discrimin
ation than using optical or near-IR data alone. To investigate this po
ssibility, near-IR images of early-type galaxies with significant U-R
gradients have been obtained. Using standard surface photometry techni
ques, near-IR color profiles and gradients have been measured. Compari
son of the optical and near-IR results leads to the primary conclusion
that broad-band optical and near-IR gradients are not tracing metalli
city in concert but are affected by different astrophysical parameters
. Three general possibilities are discussed: reddening, radial age gra
dients, and differing metallicity sensitivities. Proving the absence o
r presence of significant reddening is difficult from broad-band color
s alone. In the absence of reddening, the optical color gradients woul
d suggest that age decreases with radius, leading to somewhat contrive
d evolution scenarios. Alternatively, it is proposed that the optical
color gradients may be tracing light element (e.g., CNO) abundances wh
ile the near-IR gradients are tracing Fe-peak element abundances. This
scenario leads to the conclusion that many of these galaxies have enh
anced nuclear [light/Fe] ratios, consistent with the recently publishe
d studies of nuclear line indices in these galaxies. Given the quality
of the currently available data, these hypotheses remain somewhat unc
onstrained. Nevertheless, this study reinforces the necessity of obtai
ning data over a long spectral baseline to properly interpret the ense
mble radial properties in early-type galaxies. Independent of other da
ta, the near-IR data reveals several interesting features in individua
l galaxies. The J-K color gradient in NGC 3377 becomes bluer near the
center of the galaxy suggesting that this region is more Fe poor in th
e mean than the rest of the galaxy. NGC 5813 also shows this effect al
beit at a lower level of significance. NGC 1600 has a significant H-K
gradient suggesting a significant age gradient in the sense that the n
uclear region is younger. The possible origins of these features are d
iscussed.