Centre for Policy on Ageing



Stereotypes and stigma — biased attributions in matching older persons with drawing of viruses?
Author(s)	LeAnna M DeAngelo
Journal title	International Journal of Aging and Human Development, vol 51, no 2, 2000
Pages	pp 143-154
Keywords	Infectious diseases ; Attitudes to the old of general public ; Ethnic groups.
Annotation	To test whether germs are perceived as more harmful and threatening in stigmatised groups, photographs of young Black, young Hispanic, young White and older White people were shown for five seconds. 62 participants matched photographs with five drawings of viruses. The viruses were pre-rated by a separate sample. It was determined that the viruses formed a continuum along a 5-point scale from benign to threatening. Using analysis of variance (ANOVA), statistical significance was found between the four groups of photographs, with post-hoc analysis indicating differences between young Hispanic and older White people. Perceptions of attractiveness may have influenced choice of virus matched with person. (KJ/RH).
Accession Number	CPA-010403210 A
Classmark	CJA: TOB: TK
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing

...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing.