Which term describes the attitude that discounts an older adult's ability to change by assuming older people don't change?

• A. Normative influence.
• B. A social bias.
• C. An informative bias.
• D. Peer pressure.

Answer: (B)

The main idea here is a social bias: it describes beliefs about a group that frame them as incapable of change. When people assume older adults can’t change simply because of age, they’re applying a stereotype that discounts individual potential. In behavior change work, this bias can derail efforts by lowering expectations, influencing how goals are set, and shaping the support offered to clients. It’s different from normative influence (pressure to conform to norms), informative bias (errors in reasoning from distorted information), or peer pressure (direct social pressure from peers). So, describing this attitude as a social bias captures the idea of judging an entire group’s capacity for change based on age.