Young people show an automatic preference for Young. Do older people show an automatic preference for Old?
The finding is that older people do not, on average, show an automatic preference for their own group, the elderly. Remarkably, the preference for Young is just as strong in those over-60 age group as it is among 20-year-olds. Why might this be? Perhaps it is because being old is what social scientists call a ‘stigmatised’ group. Also, the concept ‘Old’ is associated with other concepts that tend to be seen as negative such as declines in physical and mental performance. This means that everyone, young or old, is likely to encounter the patterns of experience that establish automatic negative associations to ‘Old’. Finally, most people don’t consider themselves old; the concept of old does seem to move with our own age! This perhaps healthy attitude of thinking of oneself as young may keep us from showing liking for a group that does not include us. For more information, see Mellott et al., 1999.
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