Argues that although many publications imply that a negative attitude toward older people is common, evidence does not support this judgment. Reports a study in which participants were allowed to give their opinions on the number of exceptions to generalizations about the elderly. Suggests possible motives for misinterpreting evidence. (Author)

The equivocal relationship between contact with and perceptions of the elderly obtained in previous research is attributed to limitations in the way contact has been assessed. Multiple regression analyses identified several aspects of quality of contact with the elderly that reliably predicted attitudes toward and perceptions of them. (Author/ABB)

There is little evidence to suggest that being gay causes problems in old age but there is considerable evidence to suggest that societal stigma may cause problems for aging gays. Presented at the 28th Annual Scientific Meeting of Gerontological Society, Louisville, Oct., 1975. (Author)