Elderly respondents\u27 perceptions of patronizing speech by service providers toward elderly adults.

This study examined the effects of several factors in elderly respondents\u27 evaluations of neutral and patronizing speech by nurses toward elderly targets. Thirty-eight nursing home and 62 community Caucasian elderly women viewed two videotaped vignettes, one in which a nurse spoke to an elder target in a patronizing tone, and one with a neutral tone. Both samples rated the nurse more favorably, rated the elder target more satisfied with the conversation, and assumed that the nurse-elder dyad knew each other better when the nurse\u27s speech was neutral as opposed to patronizing. Contrary to what was predicted, community elders did not rate patronizing speech any less favorably than did the nursing home sample. As predicted cognitive ability covaried significantly with speech ratings in both samples, such that speech style did not predict any unique variance in respondents\u27 evaluations after accounting for the effects of cognitive ability. Cognitive ability predicted favorable ratings of neutral speech, but not negative ratings of patronizing speech. Contrary to what was predicted, length of institutionalization was not a significant factor in nursing home elders\u27 speech style ratings. Community respondents rated the elder targets of patronizing speech as less competent and active/potent than the elder targets of neutral speech, suggesting a “blaming the victim” effect. In contrast to what was predicted, the target elder\u27s residence was not a significant factor in community respondents\u27 evaluations of speech styles or elder target\u27s competence and activity/potency. However, the manipulation of the elder target\u27s residence was most likely not salient enough to produce the predicted effect