Benevolent Ageism’s Relationship to Self-Compassion and Meta-Memory in Older Adults

Abstract 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.

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.

THE LINKS BETWEEN AGEISM AND THE AGE-BASED DOUBLE STANDARD
Changrui Li, 1 Sarah Barber, 1 and Gene Brewer, 2 1. Georgia State University, Atlanta,Georgia,United States,2. Arizona State University,Tempe,Arizona,United States 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.