Attitudes & Ageism

and how language across the life span is interwoven with both

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

Age norms: cultural reflections?

Ben http://www.comics.com

What does this clip suggest to you?

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

Concerns young people have

For better or for worse, January 20, 2006

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?

How older adults use language: How older adults use language: does this differ from your does this differ from your usage?usage?

L.Worrall & L. Hickson. 2003. Communication disability in aging. Delmar, p. 140

Culturally speaking, what’s your age norm for these?

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

Clips from http://www.biology.duke.edu/cunningham/Villains.html

Culturally speaking, are these your age norms?

What do these have in common?

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 . . .

When reality intersects with attitude

Female adult voices typically show a pitch that is 75% higher than the male’s:

different vocal cord length & massMale 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

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)

Chart of language levels

Meaning Lexis (‘word meaning’)Semantics (‘sentence meaning’Pragmatics (‘meaning in context’)Intertextual features

Grammar Syntax and morphology

Sounds Phonology (speech)

Gender-cued language and attitudes

Lexical and morphological differencesmorphology in some languages (Japanese)

emotive words; color termsStylistic differences claimed: go-aheads, hedges F+ interruptions, direct orders M+Difference or dominance? rapport or informational?

Generational differences in lexicon

Pickles. January 20, 2006.

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/

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/

Perceptions of ‘pleasant’ speech

Mean scores for pleasant

By Alabamians

Again, 1=low

http://www.pbs.org/speak/speech/prejudice/attitudes/

Just in case you didn’t ‘get it’

Hand-drawn, from Michigan

http://www.pbs.org/speak/speech/prejudice/attitudes/

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

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

Age-biased reactions: Ryan’s research

avoidance impatiencecontrolling

talk baby talk orElderspeak

(simplified speech)

overly familiar talk

shouting non-listeningshowing

disapprovalcondescensio

ndismissive

commentsOften, we don’t realize that we have changed our

speech when we talk to an older person.

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

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

How we change our speech: 1

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

1. I was much more likely to interrupt with interjections and clarifying statements

Example from Batson 2003

How we change our speech: 2

With the person aged 54:

2. I participated actively with my honest opinions in this dialogue

With the person aged 94:

2. 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: 3

With the person aged 54

3. I spoke more softly and more quickly

With the person aged 94

3. My voice was much louder, and I spoke slower than usual

Example from Batson 2003

How we change our speech: 4

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

4. I consistently mentioned how nice the individual looked, and how I enjoyed talking to him/her

Example from Batson 2003

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)

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

@ attitudesBurda, A. & Hageman, C. Perception of accented speech by residents in assisted-living facilities, J Medical Speech-Language Pathology 13, 7-14

Language issues for new nurses: what’s beneath the surface?

Smith: JONAS Healthcare Law Ethics Regulations, Vol 6(1).March 2004.15-16

Ageism in general

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).

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

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)

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/

Evaluating curriculum plans

What do you call older people?Changing attitudes: aging in AmericaElder migration: where grandparents liveAgeism: word associationLaws promoting healthy aging: Japan-US

Evaluation rubric

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

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

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.