Prejudice Reduction in University Programs for Older Adults

Abstract

The present paper, drawing from the perspective of social cognition, examines and evaluates an intervention based on social-cognitive perspective-taking on the reduction of stereotyping and prejudice in older adults. Data were collected in a sample of Spanish participants with a mean age of 63.2 years. The intervention, aimed at reducing prejudice and stereotyping, was based on mental imagery and tested different variables that could moderate perspective-taking effectiveness. Main effects were not found in ANOVAs, but the interaction effects reveal that the intervention was effective for some participants, particularly for those with higher scores in agreeableness, differential attribution, and some values. Conclusions are applied to the field of university programs for older adults.