ABSTRACT
The selection of cohorts arose from the notion that adolescents and elders can be construed as generation gap allies relative to middle-aged adults. The Social Distance Scale was used to examine how people feel about relating to members of various age cohorts. Subjects were asked to check the age groups that they would consider suitable for each interaction. Low scores indicate social proximity or high intended contact. The Facts on Aging quiz comprises 24 true-false items designed to cover basic physical, mental and social facts as well as common misconceptions about aging. It generates an estimate of factual knowledge about aging and, by examining patterns of errors, a score indicating a net anti-aged or pro-aged bias. The adjective pairs were rated along a 7-point likert type scale. Lower scores indicate more favourable characterisations. All subjects completed ratings for themselves and for each cohort: adolescent, middle-aged adult and elderly adult.
