Intra- and intergenerational communication satisfaction as a function of an individual’s age and age stereotypes

Abstract

The present study assessed the positivity of an individual’s age stereotypes and examined the relationship between individuals’ age stereotypes and intra- and intergenerational communication satisfaction. In addition, two alternative hypotheses (i.e., an ingroup/outgroup hypothesis and a developmental hypothesis) were tested for explaining age differences in intra- and intergenerational communication satisfaction. Specifically, 118 young adults and 102 old adults participated in the study and were asked to generate traits about “a typical 20-year-old woman” and “a typical 70-year-old woman”. Participants also imagined a conversation with the targets and filled out a questionnaire measuring intra- and intergenerational communication satisfaction. Participants with a positive age stereotype toward the opposite age group perceived a higher level of intergenerational communication satisfaction and a lower level of dissatisfaction than those who held a neutral or a negative stereotype. In addition, old adults expressed lower levels of communication dissatisfaction than young adults regardless of which age group they interacted with. Results of this study supported the developmental hypothesis.

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