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contention that a high quality of interaction corresponded to an increase in positive
stereotype activation.
Characteristics of the Target. The physical appearance of the target, in addition
to the characteristics of the perceiver, also influences the activation of stereotypes. One
characteristic of the target that affects trait perceptions relates to physical appearance.
The older an individual looks, the more negative the traits that will be identified.
Hummert (1999) concludes that “it is not the facial features per se (sic) that are
prototypic of positive and negative stereotypes, as implied by Brewer and colleagues…,
but those facial features that are linked to perceptions of age” (p. 180). Hummert (1999)
concludes that though physical characteristics can activate stereotypes, trait information
used in conjunction with photographs elicits both numerically more as well as more
diverse stereotypes.
Context. The final factor, which influences the activation of stereotypes available
to the perceiver, is the physical context of communicative event, especially age-relevant
situations. Coupland, Coupland, Giles, and Henwood (1988) contend that situations that
accentuate age distinctions are more likely to cause negative stereotyping. For example,
an older adult in a nursing home (frail) is likely to activate negative stereotypes, while an
older adult on a cruise should be more likely to have a corresponding positive stereotype.
The factors affecting stereotype activation according to Hummert, Shaner, and Garstka
(1995) are additive. Therefore, an individual who is cognitively complex and has had a
high quality of contact who meets an older adult in a nursing home may still have
predominantly positive stereotypes activated and thereby exhibit more convergent
communicative behaviors. While a person with low cognitive complexity, meeting a frail
Convention