Warm but Incompetent? The Processing and Consequences of Mixed Media Stereotypes of Older Workers

• In Event: Individual and Interpersonal Dynamics in Organizational Communication

Abstract

This study brings in the Stereotype Content Model to examine how mixed news media stereotypes about older workers affect the implicit activation and application of competence and warmth stereotypes. Using a 2 x 2 experiment, we show that a news article portraying older workers in a stereotypical manner, i.e. as high rather than low in warmth, and as low rather than high in competence, both inhibits and evokes negative employability perceptions, resulting in a net negative effect on intentions to hire an older worker. Our findings indicate that mixed media portrayals have stronger effects on implicit stereotype activation compared to stereotype-application. To combat discriminatory responses towards older workers, a tailored media-based stereotype reduction strategy is suggested, in which the negative component of older workers’ stereotypes (i.e. low competence) is replaced by positive, counter-stereotypes.

Authors

• Anne Cornelia Kroon, University of Amsterdam, ASCOR

• Martine van Selm, Amsterdam School of Communication Research

• Claartje L. ter Hoeven, Amsterdam School of Communication Research, University of Amsterdam

• Rens Vliegenthart, U of Amsterdam