Attitudes & Ageism

1. Attitudes & Ageism and how language across the life span is interwoven with both

2. Life-span communication • Life-span communication suggests that • while there is decline in some cognitive and physical abilities as we age, communication development occurs throughout a life span—our ability to communicate changes and may even improve • our research on this process needs to be both quantitative and qualitative Pecchioni, Wright & Nussbaum 2005. Life Span Communication. Ch 1

3. Age norms: cultural reflections? Ben http://www.comics.com

4. What does this clip suggest to you?

5. Attitudes about aging • 3 components: behavioral, cognitive, affective • These components color • how younger people feel toward older people • how people feel and think about the aging process • how people behave as they grow older

6. Concerns young people have For better or for worse, January 20, 2006

7. Age norms: language development • Age 3 –talk about ideas and feelings • Age 7 – milestones with abstractions • Age 8 – milestones: jump in complexity • Teen years – social and linguistic complexity And then?

8. How older adults use language: does this differ from your usage? L.Worrall & L. Hickson. 2003. Communication disability in aging. Delmar, p. 140

9. 1. Wearing a short skirt and high heels 2. Living alone 3. Getting married 4. Raising children 5. Being considered sexy 6. Drinking alcohol 7. Driving a sports car 8. Having others make decisions for you 9. Displaying affection in public 10. Running a marathon 11. Running for U.S. president 12. Retiring 13. Becoming pregnant 14. Enrolling in a 4 year college degree program 15. Receiving a heart transplant Culturally speaking, what’s your age norm for these?

10. Culturally speaking, are these your age norms? What do these have in common? Clips from http://www.biology.duke.edu/cunningham/Villains.html

11. Social expectations about language • Value judgments about language are socially based • People notice – and evaluate – ways of talking that are different from their own • They hear words and accents and assign gender, age, region, class, and even ethnicity • And attitudes arise . . .

12. When reality intersects with attitude Female adult voices typically show a pitch that is 75% higher than the male’s: different vocal cord length & mass Male vocal tract length is 15% longer resulting in different resonance (and greater risk of choking on food) Vocal organs show sexual dimorphism Gender is something assigned or constructed

13. Some tech-terms we’ll need • Levels of language (brief definitions) • Phonology, morphology, lexicon, syntax, pragmatics, discourse • Instant background http://homepage.ntu.edu.tw/~karchung/linguistics%20links.htm • Word-categories that do special things • Hedges, intensifiers, go-ahead (feedback)

14. Chart of language levels

15. Gender-cued language and attitudes Lexical and morphological differences morphology in some languages (Japanese) emotive words; color terms Stylistic differences claimed: go-aheads, hedges F+ interruptions, direct orders M+ Difference or dominance? rapport or informational?

16. Generational differences in lexicon Pickles. January 20, 2006.

17. Preston on linguistic prejudice A primary linguistic myth, one nearly universally attached to minorities, rural people and the less well educated, extends in the United States even to well-educated speakers of some regional varieties. That myth, of course, is that some varieties of a language are not as good as others. http://www.pbs.org/speak/speech/prejudice/attitudes/

18. Preston collected perceptions of ‘correct’ speech Mean scores for ‘correct’ Lowest ratings: South and NYC 150 EuroAm, both sexes, all ages & classes, from Michigan http://www.pbs.org/speak/speech/prejudice/attitudes/

19. Perceptions of ‘pleasant’ speech Mean scores for pleasant By Alabamians Again, 1=low http://www.pbs.org/speak/speech/prejudice/attitudes/

20. Just in case you didn’t ‘get it’ Hand-drawn, from Michigan http://www.pbs.org/speak/speech/prejudice/attitudes/

21. Quantitative and qualitative • Life Span Communication research assumes that both methodologies are important • Quantitative may measure frequencies or specific differences – as in finding out how many of us think the speaker we’re about to hear is friendly or polite • Qualitative will explain our perceptions

22. Stereotyped projections of elder speech • Tangential – speaker wanders off the topic • Vacillating – speaker can’t make choices • Repetitive – speaker repeats same words • Too wordy – speaker gives too many details

23. avoidance impatience controlling talk baby talk or Elderspeak (simplified speech) overly familiar talk shouting non-listening showing disapproval condescension dismissive comments Age-biased reactions: Ryan’s research Often, we don’t realize that we have changed our speech when we talk to an older person.

24. Overaccomodation Can be seen as patronizing: wrong message! Overaccommodation - such as babytalk, Elderspeak, or being overly familiar - means we are talking to the stereotype of being old and not to the individual. That’s not the message we want to send. Strangers with candy: publicity still

25. Underaccommodation Freezing people out: sending the wrong message We under-accommodate a speaker’s needs when we show that we are not listening, or use dismissive comments, condescension, or controlling talk. We move away from them. That’s not the message we want to send. Little Miss Sunshine: publicity still

26. Conversation with adult 54 years old 1. I tended to display my interest by nodding much more instead of interrupting Conversation with adult 94 years old I was much more likely to interrupt with interjections and clarifying statements Example from Batson 2003 How we change our speech: 1

27. With the person aged 54: 2. I participated actively with my honest opinions in this dialogue With the person aged 94: I was much more likely to “sugar-coat” my opinions and/or modify my more “modern” points of view Example from Batson 2003 How we change our speech: 2

28. With the person aged 54 3. I spoke more softly and more quickly With the person aged 94 My voice was much louder, and I spoke slower than usual Example from Batson 2003 How we change our speech: 3

29. With the person aged 54 4. I was less “unnecessarily” pleasant, meaning, I didn’t use complimentary language unless very appropriate With the person aged 94 I consistently mentioned how nice the individual looked, and how I enjoyed talking to him/her Example from Batson 2003 How we change our speech: 4

30. Age-associated differences in communication expectations Ryan & Butler (1996: 192) claim that “some distinctions between young and old adults that influence intergenerational relationships arise from historical differences in socialization” This affects patient-provider roles. Haug (1996:252) reports less time given to consultations for patients 60 and older, and that “doctors may speak more slowly, in a louder voice, use simplified language, and take on a patronizing air, blaming older patients, but not younger, for forgetfulness” Special issue, Health Communications 8.3 (1996)

31. Healthcare worker interactions Burda (2005:8) notes that older people either have little experience with or feel that questioning professionals is inappropriate. Since many interactions involve tasks (ADL), noncompliance may ensue -- particularly if the older person doesn’t understand the healthcare worker’s accent. Hmmm. We’re back @ attitudes Burda, A. & Hageman, C. Perception of accented speech by residents in assisted-living facilities, J Medical Speech-Language Pathology 13, 7-14

32. Language issues for new nurses: what’s beneath the surface? Smith: JONAS Healthcare Law Ethics Regulations, Vol 6(1).March 2004.15-16

33. In North America and Europe, “Older adults are often marginalized, given low social status, and either ignored in the media or portrayed in roles reinforcing negative stereotypes” (Nelson, 2002). Ageism in general Nussbaum, J., Pitts, M., Huber, F., Krieger, J., Ohs, J. 2005. Ageism and ageist language across the life span. Journal of Social Issues, Vol. 61, pp. 287--305

34. Ageist stereotypes • Unfavorable stereotypes characterize older people as forgetful, sick, unattractive, useless, lonely, and dependent (Hess & Blanchard-Fields, 1999; Nelson, 2002; Palmore, 1999). • Trait sorting studies have identified several negative prototypes of older persons such as ‘shrew-curmudgeon,’ ‘despondent,’ and ‘severely impaired’ “(Ryan et al 2004: 344)

35. Jigsaw: Evaluating intergenerational materials • Each group will review a different curriculum plan that introduces aging from a lifespan perspective, using a NATLA rubric • We will use a jigsaw process: 4 people each ‘travel’ to 4 other groups, the rest stay ‘home’ to explain the group’s opinion. Back home: put it all together http://www.cps.unt.edu/natla/rsrc/lessonplans.html and http://www.jigsaw.org/

36. Evaluating curriculum plans What do you call older people? Changing attitudes: aging in America Elder migration: where grandparents live Ageism: word association Laws promoting healthy aging: Japan-US Evaluation rubric

37. Intergenerational communication: 3 models • CAT communication accommodation • Convergent X divergent strategies • CPA communicative predicament • Problematic talk < negative stereotypes • CEM communication enhancement • Tailor speech to individual needs and thereby reduce stereotypes Nussbaum, J., Pitts, M., Huber, F., Krieger, J., Ohs, J. 2005. Ageism and ageist language across the life span. Journal of Social Issues, Vol. 61, pp. 287--305

38. Youth X old age in Asia X Canada Views of the old in the East now often resemble the West’s. Expectations about declining personal vitality & increasing benevolence in old age were found among young and old respondents in the East (Mainland, Hong Kong, Korea, Philippines and Thailand) and the West (U.S.A., Australia, NZ) Accepting public norms of filial obligation and honor need not conflict with negative inner beliefs about aging and older people Ryan, E., Jin, Y., Anas, A., Luh, J. (2004 )Communication beliefs about youth and old age in Asia & Canada. J Cross-Cultural Gerontology 19: 343–360

39. Ryan’s cross-cultural work suggests Educational interventions – the CEM model - to improve intergenerational communication between young and old may be more likely to succeed if they target • fostering of positive attitudes toward empathic, socially skilled, story-telling aspects of communication in later life • rather than the reduction of negative attitudes. Ryan, E., Jin, Y., Anas, A., Luh, J. (2004 )Communication beliefs about youth and old age in Asia & Canada. J Cross-Cultural Gerontology 19: 343–360.