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Attitude change in older age: an experimental study.
Journal of Gerontology
|September 1, 1979
Summary
Older and younger women showed similar attitude change, with older adults exhibiting slightly more change at normal speeds. Higher speeds reduced attitude change for both age groups, impacting information reception differently.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Social Psychology
- Cognitive Psychology
Background:
- Attitude change is a key area in social psychology.
- Understanding age-related differences in persuasion is crucial for effective communication.
- Previous research has yielded mixed results on age and attitude change.
Purpose of the Study:
- To experimentally investigate the role of age in attitude change.
- To examine how presentation speed influences persuasion in different age groups.
- To explore mediating factors like information reception and evaluation.
Main Methods:
- Exposing older (mean age 77.5) and younger (mean age 19.7) women to persuasive messages.
- Varying the speed of information presentation to manipulate reception.
- Measuring attitude change, information reception, and positive evaluation.
Main Results:
- Higher presentation speeds generally decreased attitude change.
- No significant overall age differences in attitude change were found.
- Older women showed slightly greater attitude change at normal speeds.
- Older women reported more positive evaluations but lower information reception compared to younger women.
Conclusions:
- Age does not inherently predict attitude change, but mediating factors play a role.
- Positive evaluation and information reception can have counteracting effects on persuasion across age groups.
- Tailoring message speed may be important for optimizing persuasive impact for different demographics.