Measures of attitudes to ageing typically examine only explicit attitudes, treating attitude holders as a homogeneous group with regards to education levels. Implicit attitudes (i.e., the immediate attitudinal response before conscious processes amend that attitude to an explicit attitude) have been less commonly examined. The current study…

On spelling tests taken by 159 adults over 50, younger subjects had significantly higher scores. Statistically removing effects of crystallized intelligence and education had no effect, but removing effects of fluid intelligence made the difference insignificant. Although spelling is considered a crystallized skill, in older people it may rely…

Attitudes were assessed after 89 undergraduates were asked either five neutral questions, five questions on the economic welfare of older people, or five on elders' physical frailty. Economic questions resulted in significantly more negative views of the mental aspects of aging, suggesting that questionnaires may contain tacit sources of bias. (SK)

A survey of 322 British women found some uniformity of opinion about aging and coping with age-related changes. Their attitudes were largely pragmatic rather than pessimistic and they saw positive as well as negative aspects of aging. (SK)

Adults aged 50-59 (n=12), 60-69 (n=28), and 70+ (n=24) completed Piaget's three mountains task, which tests ability to extrapolate another's viewpoint. Compared with younger subjects (n=13), their performance significantly decreased with age and egocentrism rose significantly. A possible explanation is perceived difficulty of the task rather than…

A group of 45 people over age 50 attempted to solve the Bridges of Konigsberg problem, which has no solution. No age differences were found in time spent on task; performance was not related to IQ test performance or length of education. Results suggest that perseverance is unaffected by aging. (SK)

Results of the Need for Cognition Scale for 40 older adults indicated that their levels of need were related to their performance on Piagetian tasks. Intelligence thus appears determined by attitudes as well as ability. Motivation, need, and intellectual preferences, rather than aging, may contribute to perceived decline in intellectual skills.…

Before and 1 month after age awareness workshops, 200 British participants took the Palmore Aging Quiz and Fraboni Scale of Ageism. Palmore scores significantly improved but Fraboni scores were unchanged. Results suggest that increased awareness improves factual knowledge but does not change attitudes toward aging and older people. (Contains 18…