http://pss.sagepub.com/content/25/12/2127.abstract
- 1Social and Behavioral Sciences Division, School of Public Health, Yale University
- 2Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Yale University
- 3Department of Demography, University of California, Berkeley
- 4Department of Sociology, University of California, Berkeley
- 5Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Yale University
- Becca R. Levy, Yale University, Social and Behavioral Sciences Division, School of Public Health, 60 College St., P. O. Box 208034, New Haven, CT 06520-8034 E-mail: becca.levy@yale.edu
-
Author Contributions B. R. Levy developed the study concept. B. R. Levy, P. H. Chung, and C. Pilver developed the study design. C. Pilver oversaw data collection and data entry. C. Pilver and M. D. Slade conducted data analysis. B. R. Levy drafted and revised the manuscript with advice from the other authors.
Abstract
Negative age stereotypes that older
individuals assimilate from their culture predict detrimental outcomes,
including worse
physical function. We examined, for the first time,
whether positive age stereotypes, presented subliminally across
multiple
sessions in the community, would lead to improved
outcomes. Each of 100 older individuals (age = 61–99 years, M =
81) was randomly assigned to an
implicit-positive-age-stereotype-intervention group, an
explicit-positive-age-stereotype-intervention
group, a combined implicit- and
explicit-positive-age-stereotype-intervention group, or a control group.
Interventions occurred
at four 1-week intervals. The implicit intervention
strengthened positive age stereotypes, which strengthened positive
self-perceptions
of aging, which, in turn, improved physical
function. The improvement in these outcomes continued for 3 weeks after
the last
intervention session. Further, negative age
stereotypes and negative self-perceptions of aging were weakened. For
all outcomes,
the implicit intervention’s impact was greater than
the explicit intervention’s impact. The physical-function effect of the
implicit intervention surpassed a previous study’s
6-month-exercise-intervention’s effect with participants of similar
ages.
The current study’s findings demonstrate the
potential of directing implicit processes toward physical-function
enhancement
over time.
No comments:
Post a Comment