ERIC Number: ED249255
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1984
Pages: 24
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Measuring the Attitudes of Adults toward Children. Research Report #4-84.
Knight, G. Diane; And Others
The purpose of this study was to develop an attitude scale based on the theory of social distance that could assess attitudes toward children under the age of 12. The questions asked were: Are attitudes of adults toward children positive, negative, or neutral? Do such attitudes have a potency and activity dimension as well as an evaluative one? Do attitudes toward children differ depending on the degree of social distance reflected in the situations in which children are experienced? Do the attitudes of males and females differ toward children? A Situational Attitude Scale - Adults/Children (SAS-A/C) was developed which presented subjects with ten social situations reflecting varying degrees of social distance, and asked them to respond to ten bipolar adjectives for each situation. Findings indicated that adults do hold negative attitudes toward children, especially when placed in social situations reflecting greater social proximity. Although attitudes did differ along the potency and activity dimensions, greater differences were found along the evaluative dimension. Attitudes of males and females were not found to be different. Results are discussed as being consistent with other research on bias toward non-cohort groups. (Author)
Publication Type: Reports - Research; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: Maryland Univ., College Park. Counseling Center.
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A