Development of the 20-item Multidimensional Attitude Toward Older Adults Scale(Matoas-20)
A psychometrically robust tool for health and social sciences
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21537019 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Michiko Iwasaki (0000-0001-7421-7761, Loyola University Maryland, corresponding author), Martin F Sherman (0000-0001-7168-927X, Loyola University Maryland), Michael J White (0000-0002-0735-8668, Ball State University) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Pages | 1-17 |
| Publication date | 2025-08-09 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Educational Gerontology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0360-1277 • E-ISSN: 1521-0472 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/03601277.2025.2545011 |
| OpenAlex | W4413235984 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 37 |
Assessing ageism is crucial for addressing negative attitudes toward older adults in gerontological education and training. We sought to develop a brief psychometrically sound scale to measure attitudes toward older adults based on conventional ageism conceptualizations (stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination) within an in-group vs. out-group framework. Survey data from 700 undergraduate students were analyzed to develop the MATOAS-20. The psychometrics of the scale were examined with two samples: 700 college students and 277 adults (aged 18–59) recruited via Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk). Responses to the MATOAS-20 with the college sample demonstrated good internal consistency for the total scale (α = .87) and the four subscales (Emotional Response, Respect, Social Interaction, and Work Interest) with Cronbach’s alpha ranging from .72 to .87. Test-retest reliability over a one-week period was also good (r = .87). Convergent and divergent validity were supported by expected relations with the refined version of the Aging Semantic Differential and a brief Social Desirability Scale. Confirmatory factor analysis and measurement invariance tests showed supportive evidence for factor structure and factor loading validation across college vs. non-college adult samples and men vs. women. While dissimilar means were found between college vs. non-college samples, stronger internal consistency reliabilities were obtained with the non-college adult sample (α = .83 to .93). We conclude that the MATOAS-20 is a promising tool for assessing attitudes toward older adults among students and trainees in gerontology and related fields. Its potential to enhance professional competency warrants further exploration
Confirmatory factor analysis · Convergent validity · Cronbach's alpha · Developmental psychology · Internal consistency · Measurement invariance · Psychometrics · Semantic differential · Structural equation modeling · Aging and Gerontology Research · Clinical Psychology · Medicine · Psychological and Temporal Perspectives Research · Psychology · Retirement, Disability, and Employment · Social Psychology · Gerontology
Attitude Organization and Change
The social desirability variable in personality assessment and research
Scale Development
A conceptual analysis of Ageism
The Fraboni Scale of Ageism (FSA)
The attitudes to ageing questionnaire (AAQ)
A Review and Synthesis of the Measurement Invariance Literature
Sensitivity of Goodness of Fit Indexes to Lack of Measurement Invariance
A new scale of social desirability independent of psychopathology.
Measurement Invariance, Factor Analysis and Factorial Invariance
Development of reliable and valid short forms of the marlowe-crowne social desirability scale
Testing for Factorial Invariance in the Context of Construct Validation
Principles and Practice of Structural Equation Modeling
Comparison of five rules for determining the number of components to retain
Attitudes toward old people
| Highly cited | No |
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