ABSTRACT
Studies have investigated communication between individuals and groups of persons who vary in age, including individuals’ use of age-related labels (Giles, 1999; Harwood & Giles, 1993), individuals’ perceptions of, and satisfaction with, intergenerational communication (Coupland, Coupland, Giles, & Wiemann, 1988; McCann, Ota, Giles, & Caraker, 2003; Williams & Giles, 1996), youth’s reliance on generational stereotypes to develop social identities (Garrett, Coupland, & Williams, 2003), and individuals’ use of age categories to align themselves with positive identities (Williams, Coupland, Folwell, & Sparks, 1997). These investigations have been guided by categorization, intergroup contact, social identity, and communication accommodation theories (see Chapter 17, this volume).
