EFFECT OF DEVIATIONS FROM STEREOTYPED EXPECTATIONS UPON ATTITUDES TOWARD OLDER PERSONS

Subjects read an interview in which either a 36-year-old or a 76-year-old widow talked about her life and discussed how she had spent the previous day; they then recorded their impressions of the woman and rated her on a number of scales. Contrary to expectations, subjects rated the older woman significantly more favorably than the younger woman, even when her behavior corresponded to negative stereotypes of older persons. Evidence from subjects' written impressions and spontaneous comments indicated that an older person who is alert, interesting, and involed is perceived as deviating from stereotyped expectations and is evaluated more positively than a younger person who exhibits these same characteristics. This may account for the fact that perceivers consistently view specific older persons as exceptional, even while they retain negative stereotypes of older people in general.