Presented 192 clinical psychologists with clinical vignettes in which client ages varied. Respondents rated older depressed and older agoraphobic clients as significantly less ideal than younger clients with identical symptoms and histories. Older depressed and manic clients also were given significantly poorer prognoses than younger clients.…

Altering negative attitudes associated with ageism may be possible by giving people accurate information about older people in conjunction with reinforcement for change. This study, which involved 99 college students, supports the premise that negative attitudes toward older people are amenable; however, the new attitude may be lost without…