Sociopsychological Perspectives on Older People's Language and Communication

Bibliographic Data

ID11200366
AuthorsAngie Williams, H Giles (0000-0001-8673-271X, University of California, Santa Barbara)
Year1991
Volume11
Issue2
Pages103-126
Publication date1991-06-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueAgeing and Society (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0144-686X • E-ISSN: 1469-1779
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0144686x00003962
OpenAlexW2019846411
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited40

This paper overviews a series of recent investigations of the sociopsychological meanings of older people's language and communication. The first set of studies investigated young people's perceptions of younger and older voices. Older voices were, in general, downgraded relative to younger voices by young people. In addition, younger people's messages were recalled significantly better than older people's messages. The next set of studies was concerned with whether people seek information differently from people of various ages. The findings indicate that different questions were posed depending on the target's age. Further studies show that young people's information-seeking strategies draw on various ageist assumptions to formulate questions to both younger and older targets. The next investigation examined how young people address both younger and older people when they are requesting different kinds of assistance from them. Not only do we find ageist assumptions mediating the kinds of compliance-gaining young people use with older people, but also negative stereotypes emerge when younger people are asked what kinds of compliance-gaining strategies older people themselves usually adopt. Finally, the above findings are meshed with a new model being developed concerning the relationships between language, health and the elderly

Compliance (psychology) · Developmental psychology · Elderly people · Older people · Perception · Set (abstract data type) · Computer Science · Discourse Analysis in Language Studies · Emotional Labor in Professions · Language, Discourse, Communication Strategies · Medicine · Psychology · Social Psychology · Gerontology