Ageism Hinders Mental Attribution Toward Older Adults: Translation and Validation of the Japanese Version of the Mind Attribution Scale1

Abstract

The influence of ageism on mind attribution in older adults remains unclear. For this study, the Mind Attribution Scale—a measure of intentional, cognitive, and emotional mental attribution—was translated into Japanese. The Need to Belong Scale was used to confirm construct validity. Therefore, the effect of ageism (measured using the Fraboni Scale of Ageism) on mind attribution was investigated through 892 participants (age range: 20–83 years) recruited through crowdsourcing. Participants were asked to rate the degree of their mental capacity after reading the vignettes. The findings showed that the three components of the Mind Attribution Scale were valid measures with high internal consistency and criterion validity. Participants tended to ascribe more emotional components, but not intentional or cognitive components, to older adults. Those with stronger ageist attitudes were less likely to attribute their mental capacity to older adults. The results suggest that when considering older individuals rather than a group, people tend to have more positive attitudes and mentalize older adults, while negative ageism may contribute to dementalization.