Answer to Question 1
In a classic series of studies, Joan Erber (1999) found evidence for an age-based double standard when judging the competence of old versus young adults. People of all ages have periodic memory failures, however, and an age-based double standard is in effect if the memory omission of the older person is somehow seen as more serious than the memory omission of the younger person. The age-based double standard is most evident in research studies in which younger people are judging the
events. Older individuals tend to treat young and old individuals more equally, even being more lenient regarding older people's memory failures. However, when considering the cause of the failure, both older and younger adults show the age- based double standard in which they attribute mental difficulty to the older person and lack of attention to the younger person.
Answer to Question 2
Patronizing speech can be detrimental to the well-being of older adults. So, why do people engage in this form of communication with older individuals? The answer may have to do with implicit stereotyping. When communicating with others, we try to accommodate our languange patterns so that others may understand what we are saying. It may be the case that, when communicating with an older adult, negative stereotypes of older adults being less competent, less able to hear, and having poorer memories may be activated. This may unconsciously and inadvertently result in an inaccurate assessment of how to communicate with older people.
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