Age discrimination in employment has received mounting attention over the past two decades, and from various cross-cutting social science disciplines. Findings from survey and experimental analyses have revealed the pervasiveness of ageist stereotypes, while aggregate and life course analyses suggest trends toward downward occupational mobility…

According to sociological conventional wisdom, contact of the right kind in the right setting reduces stereotyping. Some research supports this hypothesis, some does not, and most can be challenged because the hypothesis conditions were not clearly met. This study attempted to meet the necessary conditions by using an unusually suitable setting,…

Children today do not have sufficient association with the elderly to form accurate impressions of them. Much children's information is provided through television and books which present stereotyped images of the elderly as inactive, lonely, nonproductive, crabby, and physically decrepit. To determine whether intermediate grade students respond…

In the last two decades, problems associated with aging have caused increased public concern. As a result of recent research in the Federal Republic of Germany, the science of gerontology has revealed new information about the living conditions and living standards of the elderly. The image of older people is still a negative one and passing…

Previous research suggests that one basis for age discrimination involves stereotypes about older people. Situational variables, however, may influence the extent to which these stereotypes affect decisions in employment. One situational variable, the age composition of the applicant pool, was varied to determine the degree to which age bias in…

Earlier research has shown that young adults exhibit less favorable reactions to older speakers than to peers, especially on the competence dimension. To examine the role of speaker effectiveness in modifying evaluations of younger and older adults, undergraduates (N=80) received a map of a hospital floor plan and listened to either an effective…

Attitudes and decisions regarding older workers should become an increasingly important issue for industrial/organizational psychologists in the 1980's. A variety of problems encountered by older workers has prompted concern about age discrimination in industry. Situational factors also affect the extent to which stereotypes about groups influence…

Many people hold negative attitudes toward older adults, and these attitudes often are associated with negative behavior toward the old. To explore the behavioral correlates of attitudes toward the elderly, 105 male and female college students, with a mean age of 24.5 years, participated in a two-phase experiment. During phase one, all subjects…

This monograph contains papers from the Switzer Seminar on issues regarding the problems of aging, disabilities, and rehabilitation. It is intended for use by rehabilitation counselors, psychologists, gerontologists, researchers, administrators, consumers, legislators, and others interested in providing better services to Americans growing older.…

Litigation that has arisen from claims of discrimination is discussed along with the notion that there is a clear lack of understanding of the laws and statutes. Legal models of proof and the major statutes under which litigation can be brought are described. (MLW)

Research does not support the contention that underrepresentation of women and minorities in the educational administration hierarchy is a function of deficits in training, competence, experience, and number of qualified applicants. The purpose of this study was to examine factors affecting the entrance of women and minorities into this hierarchy.…

This comprehensive report shows how hunger is interrelated with other social ills, including powerlessness, violence, poverty, environmental destruction, and discrimination. More than a billion people are too poor to afford an adequate diet and other essential of life such as health care, housing, sanitation, safe water, and education. In the…

Discovers a very stereotypical representation of the elderly in marriage and family textbooks. Reveals that the aged receive limited amounts of coverage, often are often separated from other family issues and events, and generally are associated with specific "elderly" topics in these texts. (MJP)

This monograph summarizes 20 recently completed dissertations representative of research being done in employment and training. Each summary has this format: description of the framework into which the study fits, explanation of its purpose, summary of methodology and type of data, and author's findings and conclusions. Six studies in section I on…