Abstract
This chapter examines people's perceptions of individuals of different ages and the social and psychological consequences of these age-related judgments. The chapter considers age as a salient and significant component of social judgments. It essentially describes the nature of the physical information that differentiates people on the basis of age and exhibit that social perceivers are very sensitive to this information, using it not only to identify a person's age but also to categorize people and to guide interpersonal behavior. Moreover, the chapter reviews the age-overgeneralization effects that can contribute in significant ways both to first impressions of people and to certain group stereotypes. It also examines the influence of age-based social judgments on people's social outcomes as well as their psychological development. The role of age in people's self-identities is explored in the chapter. The chapter concludes with the discussion of consequences of age, by considering the relative impact of age-related indications on social judgments in comparison to other factors.