Children's Attitudes Toward the Elderly: An Intergenerational Technique for Change

Children's Attitudes Toward Older Adults and Aging: A Synthesis of Research

“…Aside from intergenerational contact within the family, many children do not interact regularly with older adults. This has led to a call for increased contact between the generations which, as established by scholars, can dispel myths and stereotypes, promote positive attitudes, and help children learn about age diversity (Aday, Aday, Arnold, & Bendix, 1996;Aday et al, 1991;Carstensen, Mason, & Caldwell, 1982;Fillmer, 1984;Chamberlain et al, 1994). …”

“…Measurements include interviews (Page et al, 1981;Trent et al, 1979), open ended questions (Olejnik & LaRue, 1981) image identification (Fillimer, 1984;Larkin, 2007;Page et al, 1981;Seefeldt, 1977b) and elder volunteer programs (Carstensen et al, 1982). Various scales are also used such as the semantic differential, Children's Attitudes Toward the Elderly (CATE), and Tuckman-Lorge Old People Scale.…”

Drawing on Stereotypes: Using Undergraduates' Sketches of Elders as a Teaching Tool

“…The primary method for assessing student views of the elderly involves surveys, such as Palmore's Aging Quiz (Palmore, 1998), Children's Assessment of Old People Scale (Carstensen, Mason, & Caldwell, 1982), and the Aging Semantic Differential Scale (Rosencranz & McNevin, 1969). Another strategy that may be useful in the college classroom is suggested by the literature examining sketches of the elderly.…”

Attitude Toward Old People: The Impact of an Intergenerational Program

“…Types of intervention programs that have resulted in positive attitude change toward old people include: (a) oral history projects (Myerhoff & Tufte, 1975); (b) elder volunteer programs (Carstensen, Mason, & Caldwell, 1982); and (c) open-ended intergenerational discussions (Labouvie-Vief & Baltes, 1976;Olejnik & LaRue, 1981;Seefeldt et al, 1981;Trent, Glass, & Crockett, 1979).…”