AGEIST LANGUAGE IN PSYCHOLOGICAL-RESEARCH

Ageism can affect the use of language in all phases of empirical research and psychological practice. Potential problems in the use of ageist language are identified, and recommendations are provided for alternative language uses for (a) description of the research topic, (b) language used in describing study designs, (c) descriptions of methodology and choice of participants, and (d) language used in the analysis and interpretation of research findings. The focus of this article is on research and practice with older persons; however, many of the recommendations apply equally to language used with respect to age at any point in the life span.