Research Of The Difference Of Elderly Age Stereotypes And Influencing Factors

China has the largest population in the world and has now become an ageing society because of its particularity of the population policy. A series of social phenomena caused by age issues attract more and more attentions. Research has found that age stereotype exists both in implicit and explicit levels, it can significantly affect holder’s physiological (such as hypertension and coronary heart disease) and cognition functions(such as memory and judgment) as well as behavior performances (like walking speed and handwriting). Moreover, age stereotype also affects whether older people have the will to live and accept medical care. Influences of age stereotype on older people are very enormous, but till now there are few evidences exploring factors that affect age stereotype, only older people’s contact frequency and quality were taken into consideration. However, existing research indicates that attitude will affect people’s stereotypes. When refers to age stereotype, individuals’ attitude towards age may affect their age stereotypes. In our research, based on research worldwide, we adopt surveys and experimental research methods to explore older people’s differences on age stereotype and its impacted factors. This research consists of two studies.The study I attempts to explore whether demographic variables may affect older people’s explicit and implicit age stereotypes, to find out differences of older people’s implicit age stereotype in three dimensions (physical characteristics, cognitive functions and personal expression) and to further explore the relationship between explicit and implicit age stereotypes. On basis of.three dimensions:physical characteristics, cognitive functions and personal expression, eighty elderly subjects were investigated using the Facts on Aging Quizzes I to measure older people’s explicit age stereotype and the Implicit Association Test to test older people’s implicit age stereotype. Conclusions are as follows:(1) Gender and age would not affect older people’s explicit and implicit stereotype; levels of education might influence explicit age stereotype. Explicit age stereotype scores diminish with the increasing of educational years; monthly salary would not affect explicit and implicit age stereotype.(2) Implicit age stereotype differs significantly on the physical characteristics, cognitive functions and personal expression these three dimensions. Moreover, age stereotype on the dimension of physical characteristics is stronger than that in the other two dimensions.(3) Low correlation was found between explicit and cognitive functions implicit age stereotype in older people; low correlation was found between explicit and personal expression implicit age stereotype in older people; uncorrelation was found between explicit and physical characteristics implicit age stereotype in older people.On the basis of study I, Study II attempts to explore whether aging attitude would affect older people’s age stereotype. We want to find the relationship between contact frequency with the elderly, aging attitude and age stereotype, and the relationship between contact quality with older people, aging attitude and age stereotype. The present study utilizes materials which measures frequency and quality of contact with older people designed by Peterson, CC, Hall, LC and Peterson, JL (1988), and use the "aging Attitude measurement aging attitude. Conclusions are as follows:(1) Aging attitude would affect explicit age stereotype of older people. Aging attitude would affect implicit age stereotype on the dimensions of cognitive functions and personal expression. (2) Age attitude is the mediator between contact frequency with older people and explicit age stereotype. Aging attitude is the full mediation between contact frequency with older people and explicit age stereotype. Aging attitude is the partial mediation between contact quality with older people and explicit age stereotype. Aging stereotype is also the partial mediation between contact quality with older people and implicit attitude on the cognitive functions dimension.