Benevolent Ageism: Exploring Its Boundary Conditions, Generalizability, and Correlates

Abstract Ageism is one of the few prejudices that is still socially condoned (Nelson, 2016). Given the aging population and the impact of internalizing ageist thoughts, this construct needs to be at the forefront for scientific examination. The long-term effects of ageism, particularly negative self-perceptions, lead to negative health and cognitive outcomes (Chasteen et al., 2015; Levy et al., 2002). One of the intricate components of ageism, however, is that it is often “benevolent”. Cuddy and colleagues developed the Stereotype Content Model (SCM) to describe how individuals are categorized based on varying degrees of warmth and competence. Unlike many devalued members of society who are viewed as low on both, older adults are viewed as having high warmth and low competence, leading to more overaccommodative treatment. The goal of the present symposium is to overview the ways in which researchers have dissected this more nuanced type of ageism. Specifically, two of the presenters will cover some of the boundary conditions of understanding age-based stereotypes and their malleability, examining them across ages and across genders. Additionally, one of our presenters will overview the validation of the Ambivalent Ageism Scale on a Chinese sample, lending support to its generalizability. Finally, our last presenter will overview the relationship between benevolent ageism and self-compassion to predict metamemory, given the pervasive stereotype that older adults suffer from severe cognitive decline. Themes and implications of these presentations will be discussed.

research network that conducts integrative analysis of longitudinal aging studies (IALSA), Hofer will describe challenges posed by multiple sources of heterogeneity in conducting coordinated analyses, and ways of handling these challenges to maximize reproducibility. Next, Mroczek will illustrate these issues by providing two examples of coordinated analyses. This talk will highlight design features that promote openness and transparency in conducting research on longitudinal data. Third, Lodi-Smith will provide practical guidance and examples on preregistering complex projects, strategies for transparently reporting deviations from preregistrations, considerations in sharing sensitive data, and tips on transparent documentation of analysis code. She will also emphasize the pedagogical value of preregistration. Finally, Seaman will describe ongoing efforts to establish open science practices as the default in her laboratory, with the goal of providing a model for both junior and more established researchers wanting to build transparency into their research practices. Discussant Isaacowitz, editor for the Journal of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences, will evaluate the presentations from the lens of how journals can encourage more transparent and replicable scientific practices. The application of openness and transparency principles is challenging when using existing or ongoing long-term longitudinal data. One technique that promotes replicability and also is consistent with openness and transparency principles is coordinated analysis. Such analyses, especially when done with a large number of extant longitudinal datasets, tend to draw upon values of data sharing, revelation of code and scripts, and pre-registration. Thus coordinated analyses often provide good examples of how multiple transparency and openness values can come together. We will demonstrate this by presenting two recent large-scale coordinated analyses. One was a 15-study investigation of personality and mortality risk (Graham et al., 2017). The second is a new 16-study investigation of personality trajectories (Graham et al., under revision). We show how multi-study designs are congruent with open science and transparency ideas in the context of longitudinal and other secondary data.

ESTABLISHING THE REPLICABILITY AND GENERALIZABILITY OF MULTI-STUDY LONGITUDINAL RESEARCH Scott Hofer, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Replication and cross-validation of research findings across independent longitudinal studies is essential for a cumulative science. However, the interplay between harmonization, replication, and generalizability of results across interdisciplinary longitudinal studies can present remarkable challenges. Careful interpretation of multistudy results must include consideration of the age, birth cohort, health, and education of individuals in the sample, measurements, the number and spacing of assessments, and rates of response and attrition. Placed in a broader historical (or future) context, we must consider the representativeness of population sampling, historical period, and analytic method in understanding the replicability and generalizability of findings. In a multistudy context, harmonization can be considered at levels of research question, statistical models, and measurements and can minimize some sources of cross-study variability. I will discuss the challenges and benefits of harmonization and the coordinated analysis approach used by the IALSA research network to achieve results from multi-study integrative research.

APPLIED OPEN SCIENCE FOR SECONDARY DATA ANALYSIS AND META-ANALYSIS Jennifer Lodi-Smith, Canisius College, Buffalo, New York, United States
This talk will provide guidance on the practicalities of open science for secondary data analysis and meta-analyses. Example studies will provide practical considerations for preregistering complex projects, insights into strategies for transparently reporting deviations from preregistrations, advice on deciding when and how to share sensitive data, and tips on transparent documentation of analysis code. Examples will be drawn from an ongoing meta-analysis of the relationship between self-concept clarity and self-esteem (https://osf.io/sa2bx/), the Rochester Adult Longitudinal Study (https://osf.io/ya4ph/), and the Aging and Autism Study (https://osf.io/g9c3e/). The pedagogical value of preregistration will be emphasized throughout the talk.

MAKING OPEN SCIENCE THE DEFAULT: CREATING LAB PRACTICES TO PROMOTE TRANSPARENCY Kendra Seaman, The University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, Texas, United States
Many factors disincentivize researchers, particularly junior faculty members, from implementing open science practices. One way to make open science less burdensome is integrate open science methods with existing procedures. I will describe my ongoing efforts to establish open science practices as the default in my laboratory. These strategies include (1) creating and updating a lab manual to set expectations for openness, (2) articulating a standard operating procedure for creating, preregistering, and managing a new project, (3) establishing clear organizational structures for data, code, and data products, and (4) training lab members on the use of these and other open science tools like GitHub. These strategies provide a model for both junior researchers starting a lab and more established researchers who want to build transparency into their research practices. Ultimately, implementing open science methods will improve lab workflows and improves the overall quality of our science. Ageism is one of the few prejudices that is still socially condoned (Nelson, 2016). Given the aging population and the impact of internalizing ageist thoughts, this construct needs to be at the forefront for scientific examination. The long-term effects of ageism, particularly negative self-perceptions, lead to negative health and cognitive outcomes (Chasteen et al., 2015;Levy et al., 2002). One of the intricate components of ageism, however, is that it is often "benevolent". Cuddy and colleagues developed the Stereotype Content Model (SCM) to describe how individuals are categorized based on varying degrees of warmth and competence. Unlike many devalued members of society who are viewed as low on both, older adults are viewed as having high warmth and low competence, leading to more overaccommodative treatment. The goal of the present symposium is to overview the ways in which researchers have dissected this more nuanced type of ageism. Specifically, two of the presenters will cover some of the boundary conditions of understanding age-based stereotypes and their malleability, examining them across ages and across genders. Additionally, one of our presenters will overview the validation of the Ambivalent Ageism Scale on a Chinese sample, lending support to its generalizability. Finally, our last presenter will overview the relationship between benevolent ageism and self-compassion to predict metamemory, given the pervasive stereotype that older adults suffer from severe cognitive decline. Themes and implications of these presentations will be discussed.

BENEVOLENT AGEISM'S RELATIONSHIP TO SELF-COMPASSION AND META-MEMORY IN OLDER ADULTS
Jennifer Sublett, 1 and Toni Bisconti, 2 1. University of Akron,Akron,Ohio,United States,2

. Univesity of Akron, Akron, Ohio, United States
Benevolence directed towards older adults can cross the line between respect and overaccommodation that undermines their physical and cognitive capabilities (Mehrotra & Wagner, 2009); however, little research has examined the subtleties of the influence of benevolent ageism on older adults' ratings of their own functioning. Because stereotypes about older adults include the decline of mental abilities, this study examined whether their (N= 155) experiences with benevolent ageism, or overaccommodative offers of assistance and protection, influenced their own appraisals of memory abilities through their feelings of self-compassion. Older adults with fewer benevolent ageist experiences had higher rates of self-compassion, which in turn translated into better evaluations of their memory abilities. Future research should consider the potential pernicious influences that benevolent ageism has on older adults' self-evaluations and performance, consider self-compassion as a buffer in these relationships, and test whether these relationships have downstream consequences on well-being outcomes.

THE MODIFIABILITY OF THE STEREOTYPE CONTENT MODEL TOWARD OLDER ADULT MEN AND WOMEN Michael Vale Toni Bisconti and Jennifer Sublett, University of Akron, Akron, Ohio, United States
Older adults are often stereotyped in a paternalistic manner (warm, but incompetent), deserving of assistance regardless of their need. We have examined the veracity and malleability of this paternalistic stereotype using an experimental vignette with both male and female targets. Younger adults (N = 717) deemed it more necessary and appropriate to offer unnecessary help to older adults in a grocery store scenario. Additionally, competence was malleable for both older adult male and female targets if the older adults denied the offer of help. Interestingly, older women were viewed as warm, which did not change as a function of their response, whereas older men were initially viewed as colder, but their warmth ratings increased. In light of these findings, we will discuss the intersection of age and gender when considering the malleability of the warmth and competence dimensions of the paternalistic older adult stereotype. There is an age-based double standard in how we evaluate memory failures by younger and older adults. Whereas younger adults' forgetfulness is attributed to lack of effort or attention, older adults' forgetfulness is attributed to lack of ability. Our goal was to replicate this phenomenon, and evaluate its links to benevolent and hostile ageism. To do so, we used a vignette paradigm in which younger and older participants read about a target person (who was a younger or older woman) who left a store without paying for a ring (which varied in price). Results showed that participants were more likely to attribute this to poor memory abilities when the target was an older adult. They were also more lenient in their ascribed punishments for the older adult targets. In addition, reading about an older adult target's mistake was associated with subsequently higher endorsement of benevolent, but not hostile, ageist attitudes.

VALIDATION OF THE AMBIVALENT AGEISM SCALE IN CHINA Xin Zhang, Peking University, Beijing, China
Two studies were conducted to validate the Ambivalent Ageism Scale in China. In the first study, 474 Chinese adults (18-58) were asked to take the Chinese version of the AAS. EFA exhibited a similar factor solution as the original study, with high internal consistency and construct validity. Moreover, in a second study, 372 Chinese adults (18-85) took the AAS and provided their estimations of the similarities between their current and their past/future self via the SIC. Results indicated that all three factors of the SIC positively related to hostile ageism, whereas succession and identity positively related to benevolent ageism and consumption negatively related to it. Additionally, past self-continuity was positively associated with hostile ageism, and future self-continuity was negatively associated with it, but neither form was associated with benevolent ageism. These results further validate the AAS in China and also provide evidence for the uniqueness of benevolent ageism.