Table 3:
Stereotypes about Older Workers’ Skills
| Aggregate Stereotype | Phrasing | Source |
|---|---|---|
|
| ||
| Lower Ability to Learn | “will [not] participate in training programs” | AARP (2000) (p. 6) |
| “learn new techniques” “personal development” | Armstrong-Stassen and Schlosser (2008) | |
| “[less] potential for development” | Crew (1984) (p.433) | |
| “lack willingness to be trained” | van Dalen, Henkens, and Schippers (2009) (p. 21) | |
| “training more appropriate for younger workers” | Dedrick and Dobbins (1991) (p. 373) | |
| “[less] ability and willingness to learn” | Kroon et al. (2016) (p. 16) | |
| “[less likely to] want to be trained” | Lyon and Pollard (1997) (p. 252) | |
| “Less interest in learning.” | Maurer at al. (2008) | |
| “learn less quickly,” “are less interested in being trained” | Warr and Pennington (1993) (p. 89) | |
| “less potential for development” | Finkelstein, Burke, and Raju (1995) | |
| “lower potential for development” | Singer (1986) | |
|
| ||
| Better Communication Skills | “[better] interpersonal skills” | Crew (1984) (p.433) |
| “better social skills” | van Dalen, Henkens, and Schippers (2009) (p. 21) | |
| “more interpersonally skilled” | Kroon et al. (2016) (p. 16) | |
| “sincere when talking,” “tells more enjoyable stories” | Ryan et al. (1992) | |
|
| ||
| Worse Communication Skills | “less interpersonally skilled” | Finkelstein and Burke (1998) (p. 331) |
| “unable to communicate” | Schmidt and Boland (1986) | |
| “worse interpersonal skills” | Singer (1986) | |
| “talks slowly,” “less sociable,” “has few friends” | Kite, Deaux, and Meile (1991) | |
| “worse conversational skills,” “hard to understand when noisy,” “lose track of who said what,” “lose track of topic,” “lose track of what talked about,” “hard to speak if pressed for time,” “use fewer difficult words,” “recognize meanings of fewer words” | Ryan et al. (1992) | |
| “less outgoing,” “quieter voice,” “more hoarse” | Stewart and Ryan (1982) | |
|
| ||
| More Experienced | “solid experience” | AARP (2000) (p. 6) |
| “[more] experience” | Finkelstein, Higgins, and Clancy (2000) | |
| “[more] experience” | Finkelstein, Ryan, and King (2013) | |
| “have useful experience” | Lyon and Pollard (1997) (p. 251) | |
| “having more experience which is useful in the job” | Warr and Pennington (1993) (p. 89) | |
|
| ||
| More Productive | “strong work ethic” | Pitt-Catsouphes et al. (2007) (p. 8) |
| “working harder” | Warr and Pennington (1993) (p. 89) | |
|
| ||
| Less Productive | “[lower] performance capacity” | Crew (1984) (p.433) |
| “attributed low performance more to the stable factor of lack of ability when the subordinate was old” | Dedrick and Dobbins (1991) (p. 368) | |
| “less economically beneficial” | Finkelstein and Burke (1998) (p. 331) | |
| “high performance rating is positively related with youth” | Lawrence (1988) (p. 328) | |
| “[less] competence” | Levin (1988) (p. 142) | |
| “younger workers are seen as having higher performance capacity” | Singer (1986) (p. 691) | |
|
| ||
| Worse with Technology | “[less likely to] understand new technologies” “[less likely to] learn new technologies,” “[less] comfortable with new technologies” | AARP (2000) (p. 6) |
| “lack capacity to deal with new technologies” | van Dalen, Henkens, and Schippers (2009) (p. 21) | |
| “[less] technological competence” “[less] technological adaptability” | Kroon et al. (2016) (p. 16) | |
| “[less likely to] accept new technology” | Lyon and Pollard (1997) (p. 252) | |
| “Older workers adapt to new technology slower than younger workers.” “Younger workers are less fearful of technology than older workers. | McCann and Keaton (2013) | |
| “problems with technology” | McGregor and Gray (2002) | |
| “less readily accept the introduction of new technology” | Warr and Pennington (1993) (p. 89) | |