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3 Exploring the State of the Knowledge on Stereotypes and Their Impact
Pages 17-30

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From page 17...
... Campbell, an independent consultant with Campbell & Associates Consulting, moderated an open discussion among the speakers and the workshop participants. BENEFITS AND DETERMINANTS OF AGE STEREOTYPES Becca Levy Yale University Levy began her presentation by showing a recent article from The New York Times related to Fashion Week (Safronova et al., 2017)
From page 18...
... The presentation of negative age stereotypes led to worse cognitive function, worse physical function, greater stress levels, and a reduced
From page 19...
... . Next, Levy described longitudinal research showing that individuals who held more negative age stereotypes had a significantly higher risk of having a cardiovascular event over the next 38 years than individuals who held more positive age stereotypes (Levy et al., 2009)
From page 20...
... These negative consequences can present a dilemma for people with disabilities. Individuals may wish to assert independence by declining unnecessary help, but research shows that individuals from stigmatized groups who confront discriminatory behaviors tend to suffer negative interpersonal repercussions.
From page 21...
... Let me take you to the bus stop." In a hostile treatment scenario, the pedestrian said, "It is too dangerous for you to be walking around by yourself. You should just turn around and go home." Wang then asked participants to rate the extent to which they perceived the pedestrian's behavior as appropriate using a scale that included terms such as "appropriate," "helpful," "condescending," and "overbearing." As shown in Figure 3-1, Wang found a significant inter action between treatment type and participant disability status.
From page 22...
... As seen in Figure 3-2, Mary was perceived as less warm when she confronted patronizing treatment as compared to when she confronted hostile treatment. Therefore, Wang said, the participants penalized Mary more for her confrontation in a patronizing condition when they believed the pedestrian's actions were more appropriate in that case than in the hostile condition.
From page 23...
... In the case of the study scenarios, Wang said, a more positive and constructive interaction would be if the pedestrian offered to take Mary to the bus stop and then let Mary decide whether this help was necessary. Wherever possible, Wang said, this type of communication skills training should also incorporate positive and equal status contact between people with and without disabilities.
From page 24...
... Second, this stereotype often leads to patronizing treatment, which can present a dilemma for people with disabilities in terms of how they respond. Third, laws and regulations are important tools for removing structural barriers for people with disabilities, but they are unlikely to modify existing ambivalent stereotypes and unconscious biases.
From page 25...
... North referred to Susan Fiske's stereotype content model, which argues that social groups can be divided according to their stereotype content based on whether they are seen as high or low in warmth or high or low in competence (Fiske et al., 2002)
From page 26...
... Concerning discrimination at the point of exit from the workforce, North simply noted that the number of age discrimination charges brought forth to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has risen 47 percent since 1999. Part of problem, North said, is that age discrimination and denying resources to older workers is subtle in nature.
From page 27...
... The demographic imperative is based on the fact that the population -- and the workforce -- is aging. The older segments of the labor force are the only ones projected to grow in the coming decades, and so North argued that "it is just pragmatic sense to create value from that." In terms of a moral imperative, North referred to his own work: "Age is the only social category identifying subgroups that everyone may eventually join" (North and Fiske, 2012, p.
From page 28...
... Initiative.3 Its goal is to conduct research to show how to create value from the unprecedented levels of older workers and multiple generations in the workforce. DISCUSSION Kirsten Jacobs from LeadingAge asked if working to make perceptions of aging more positive can diminish the experiences of those who are not able to age "successfully." Levy said that the term "successful aging" needs to be redefined to recognize the diversity of aging experiences, including people of all different levels of health and ability.
From page 29...
... Julie Bynum from Dartmouth University asked how receptive people in different fields, particularly business, are to making changes to help older workers. North said that despite the known demographic shifts in age, many companies and business schools are "behind the curve" when it comes to issues around ageism and not many researchers in the business world study aging.
From page 30...
... Donna Fick of the Penn State University College of Nursing asked how less visible disabilities (both physical and intellectual) can best be addressed in workplace discrimination.


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