Abstract
This study aimed to expand the literature on the perception of elderspeak among community dwelling older adults with secondary purposes concerning how these perceptions vary across gender and region. Participants (n = 110) were presented a written vignette that depicted a nursing assistant in an assisted living facility waking a tenant from a nap and assisting the tenant to the bathroom before lunch. The nursing assistant uses elderspeak throughout the vignette. Following the vignette, participants’ reactions to the use of elderspeak and perceptions of the nursing assistant in the vignette were assessed using a series of open-ended questions, the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS; Watson et al., 1988), and the Emotional Tone Rating Scale (ETRS; Williams et al., 2012). Then, participants’ personal experiences with elderspeak were examined using open-ended questions and the PANAS. Results indicated that elderspeak and the speaker were perceived negatively among community dwelling older adults, regardless of setting, gender, or region. Future research with a more racially diverse sample is warranted to determine how these findings generalize to the general population of older adults living in the community.
Advisor
Jeffrey Buchanan
Committee Member
Eric Sprankle
Committee Member
Hsinhuei Sheen Chiou
Date of Degree
2022
Language
english
Document Type
Thesis
Degree
Master of Arts (MA)
Program of Study
Clinical Psychology
Department
Psychology
College
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Recommended Citation
Teply, A. L. (2022). An investigation of the perception of elderspeak among community dwelling older adults [Master’s thesis, Minnesota State University, Mankato]. Cornerstone: A Collection of Scholarly and Creative Works for Minnesota State University, Mankato. https://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/etds/1215/
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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