FrameWorks Institute, Washington, District of Columbia.
J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2019 Apr 12;74(4):559-564. doi: 10.1093/geronb/gby080.
Evidence suggests that agist biases may operate implicitly (i.e., automatically and unconsciously) to affect discriminatory attitudes and behaviors toward older adults. However, few studies have tested the malleability of implicit age bias. The present study tests the effect of a framing intervention on implicit age bias in a nationally representative sample of American adults.
Participants (N = 767) were randomly assigned to read 1 of 3 framed messages, to an unframed message about aging, or to a control message unrelated to aging. Framed messages emphasized (a) the contributions of older adults to society; (b) aging as a process of accumulating wisdom and energy; and (c) mechanisms through which prejudice against older adults operates. Participants subsequently completed an aging implicit association test (IAT) to assess implicit bias.
Relative to the control condition, participants in the 3 framed message conditions displayed lower implicit age bias. No differences were observed between participants in the control condition and those who read the unframed message.
Findings indicate that reframing messages about aging can decrease implicit bias against older adults. This study highlights ways for communicators to promote a positive understanding of the aging process, thereby mitigating sources of implicit prejudice.
有证据表明，年龄歧视偏见可能会以隐含的方式（即自动且无意识地）影响人们对老年人的歧视态度和行为。然而，很少有研究检验过内隐年龄偏见的可塑。本研究在一个具有全国代表性的美国成年人样本中测试了框架干预对内隐年龄偏见的影响。
参与者（N=767）被随机分配阅读 3 种框架信息中的 1 种，阅读关于衰老的无框架信息或与衰老无关的控制信息。框架信息强调：（a）老年人对社会的贡献；（b）衰老作为积累智慧和精力的过程；以及（c）针对老年人的偏见运作的机制。参与者随后完成了衰老内隐联想测验（IAT），以评估内隐偏见。
与对照组相比，阅读 3 种框架信息的参与者表现出较低的内隐年龄偏见。对照组和阅读无框架信息的参与者之间没有观察到差异。
研究结果表明，重新构建关于衰老的信息可以减少对老年人的内隐偏见。这项研究强调了传播者可以通过促进对衰老过程的积极理解来减少内隐偏见的来源。
