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Filling a missing link: the influence of portrayals of older characters in television commercials on the memory performance of older adults

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 March 2010

GERBEN J. WESTERHOF ,
KAROLIEN HARINK ,
MARTINE VAN SELM ,
MADELIJN STRICK  and
RICK VAN BAAREN
GERBEN J. WESTERHOF*
Affiliation:
Psychology and Communication of Health and Risk, University Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands.
KAROLIEN HARINK
Affiliation:
Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud UniversityNijmegen, The Netherlands.
MARTINE VAN SELM
Affiliation:
Department of Social Science Research Methodology, Radboud UniversityNijmegen, The Netherlands.
MADELIJN STRICK
Affiliation:
Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud UniversityNijmegen, The Netherlands.
RICK VAN BAAREN
Affiliation:
Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud UniversityNijmegen, The Netherlands.
*
Address for correspondence: Gerben J. Westerhof, University of Twente, Psychology and Communication of Health and Risk, P.O. Box 217, 7500AEEnschede, The Netherlands E-mail: g.j.westerhof@utwente.nl
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Abstract

The portrayal of older characters in television commercials has over time become more varied and positive. This study examines how different portrayals of older characters relate to self-stereotyping, a process through which older individuals apply their beliefs about older people in general to themselves and behave accordingly. The study thereby seeks to connect, as few have previously done, cultural studies and critiques of media portrayals with psychological studies of the effects of self-stereotyping. Sixty participants aged 65–75 years were primed with television commercials that portrayed older characters in different ways: ‘warm and incompetent’, ‘warm and competent’, and ‘cold and competent’. It was hypothesised that priming with warm/incompetent portrayals would have a negative effect on memory performance because such representations match the dominant stereotype, and that the effect would occur only among older people who identify with their own age group. It was found that the participants who identified with their own age group did indeed show impaired memory performance after priming with warm/incompetent portrayals, but also that the same effect was found after priming with warm/competent portrayals. The findings are discussed in terms of resistance against stereotyping by older individuals themselves as well as by media producers.

Keywords

television commercialsself-stereotypingmemory performanceage identity
Type
Research Article
Information
Ageing & Society , Volume 30 , Issue 5 , July 2010 , pp. 897 - 912
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

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