Scale Description

The Fraboni Scale of Ageism (FSA-29) is a psychometric tool designed to measure attitudes and prejudices against the elderly. The FSA-29 consists of 29 questions that examine various aspects of ageism, such as stereotypes about older people, social distance from them, and age-based discrimination. Participants are asked to respond to each statement using a Likert scale, which measures the degree of agreement or disagreement with the statements.

Data Analysis and Usage

The analysis of data from the FSA-29 involves using quantitative techniques to evaluate participants’ attitudes toward the elderly. The analysis includes:

Descriptive Statistics:Means and Standard Deviations: Calculation of means and standard deviations for responses to each question or for the subscales of the scale.

Reliability: Assessment of the internal consistency of the scale through Cronbach’s alpha to determine the reliability of the results.

Correlations:Examination of correlations between responses to different questions or subscales to understand the relationships between various aspects of ageism.

Factor Analysis:Use of factor analyses to identify the key factors contributing to ageist attitudes, if necessary.

Purpose

The primary goal of the FSA-29 is to provide a reliable and objective tool for measuring ageism. It is used for:

Research Purposes: Studying the relationships between ageism and other psychological or social variables, as well as its impact on social attitudes and behaviors.

Clinical Assessment: Evaluating attitudes toward the elderly and the need for intervention or education to reduce age-based discrimination.

Educational Use: Understanding and addressing ageism within the context of education and social policy.

Calibration

The calibration of the FSA-29 involves analyzing data obtained from the use of the scale to evaluate its reliability and validity:

Internal Consistency Assessment: Calculation of the tool’s reliability using Cronbach’s alpha to ensure the consistency of responses to the questions.

Comparative Analysis: Comparing the results of the FSA-29 with other related studies to confirm the scale’s validity and reliability.

References

Fraboni, M., Saltstone, R., & Hughes, S. (1990). The Fraboni Scale of Ageism (FSA): An attempt at a more precise measure of ageism. Canadian Journal on Aging, 9(1), 56-66.

Rupp, D. E., Vodanovich, S. J., & Credé, M. (2005). The multidimensional nature of ageism: Construct validity and group differences. The Journal of Social Psychology, 145(3), 335-362.

Palmore, E. B. (1999). Ageism: Negative and positive. Springer Publishing Company.