Implicit and explicit attitudes towards older workers: Their predictive utility and the role of attitude malleability. (2009)

View/ Open
Type of Content
Theses / DissertationsThesis Discipline
PsychologyDegree Name
Doctor of PhilosophyPublisher
University of Canterbury. PsychologyCollections
Abstract
Due to the ageing population, an increasing number of older workers form the labour force. Unfortunately discriminatory practices against older workers are well documented and the antecedents of such discrimination are assumed to be negative attitudes towards older workers. No previous research has investigated implicit attitudes towards older workers or their behavioural consequences. Accordingly, the present research aimed to investigate both implicit and explicit attitudes towards older workers, and their predictive utility in an employment-related context. In addition, attitude malleability and the role it may play in the attitude-behaviour relationship was investigated. This thesis reports findings from 5 studies, a pilot study and 4 main studies. The pilot study determined that the Implicit Association Test (IAT; A.G. Greenwald, D. E. McGhee & J. L. K. Schwartz, 1998) was to be used in the main studies. The 4 main studies investigated implicit attitudes, and the malleability of such attitudes towards older, relative to younger, workers. The malleability of attitudes was investigated with a mental imagery intervention where the experimental group participants were asked to imagine and describe respected and valued older workers in their surroundings. The control group participants were asked to imagine holiday destinations they would like to visit. In general, it was expected that negative implicit and explicit attitudes would be found towards older workers but that such bias could be alleviated with a mental imagery intervention. In all studies, negative implicit attitudes against older workers were found and such attitudes were relatively uninfluenced by the mental imagery manipulation. Three studies included explicit measures of attitudes. Although some variation was found between the studies and the measures used, overall positive attitudes towards older and younger workers were found. The mental imagery manipulation was also found to influence the explicit attitudes to a greater degree than implicit attitudes. The final study investigated the relationship between attitudes and behaviour. Specifically, both implicit and explicit attitudes’ relationships with spontaneous and controlled-type behaviours towards an older and a younger target were examined. Overall, some evidence for youth-bias in the participants’ behaviour was found, as well as evidence for the relationship between explicit attitudes and spontaneous behaviours. Implicit attitudes were largely unrelated to behaviour. In general, the mental imagery intervention did not impact the attitude-behaviour relationship. Implications for older workers are discussed, as well as educational methods for reducing discrimination older workers face in employment.
Keywords
older workers; attitudes; implicit; discriminationRights
Copyright Sanna MalinenRelated items
Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.
-
Implicit and Explicit Attitudes towards Older Workers and their Relationship with Behaviour
Macdonald, Joanne Margaret Louise (University of Canterbury. Psychology, 2011)The population both internationally and in New Zealand is ageing. This is of concern for organisations as the age of the workforce is increasing. New Zealand is a relatively small country and requires the participation ... -
E-contact in online poker: examining the role of negative and positive intergroup contact and economic gains vs. losses on implicit and explicit outgroup attitudes
Andrews, Nadia (University of Canterbury, 2020)The internet has become indispensable to daily living; we spend roughly a third of our day online. A popular online activity is to play games such as online poker. In online poker, the only readily available information ... -
Workplace Exercise Programmes - How organizational factors influence employee participation
Little, A.; Wordsworth, Russell; Malinen, Sanna (2019)Purpose: Past research identifies many positive outcomes associated with workplace exercise initiatives. Realizing these outcomes is, however, dependent on securing sustained employee participation in the initiative. ...