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Hypothesis 4b:Verbally aggressive messages will be more strongly associated
with negative stereotype activation than will outgroup age (older
adult).
The stereotype activation research found that stereotype activation is additive.
Therefore, the combined factors of relational level and age should activate more negative
stereotypes than the communication strategy hypothesis (Hummert, 1994; Hummert
1999; Hummert, Shaner & Garstka, 1995).
Hypothesis 5: Relational level and age (combined) will have a greater effect on
negative stereotype activation than will communication strategy
(level of verbal aggressiveness).
Methodology
Sample
The questionnaire was distributed to 217 students at a large public Southern
university in introductory level communication studies courses. Of the 217 questionnaires
distributed, 186 questionnaires were kept for analysis. Thirty-one questionnaires were
deleted from the study based upon age, lack of differentiation of traits, and incomplete
responses. Ten (4.6%, m=34.1 years of age) participants were excluded from the
statistical analyses because they exceeded 25 years of age and did not qualify as a young
adult as operationally defined in this study. Twenty (9.7%; 11 males, 9 females)
participants were excluded because their completed questionnaires lacked any significant
differentiation of traits on Hummert’s (1995) Stereotype Activation Scale. Questionnaires
completed by respondents who ranked 60 or more items with the same number were
deleted from the study. One (.005%) participant was deleted from the study for not
completing the majority of Hummert’s (1995) Stereotype Activation Scale.
Convention