Using Pictures to Explore Children's Attitudes Toward the Elderly

Children's attitudes toward the elderly

“…Other investigators (e.g., Marcoen, 1979;Seefeldt et al, 1977;Treybig, 1974) have suggested that children even younger than the ones Hickey and Kalish tested may harbor attitudes toward the elderly.…”

“…Thus, male children based their selection on the premise that the youngest man would be the most active one. Seefeldt et al (1977) found that the children in their study generally reported picking the man they did as the old est on the basis of physical-descriptive cues. The present Third, the similarity between the parental responses may be due to the sharing of a common home environment for the past several years.…”

“…Some studies have reported chil dren to possess positve attitudes toward the elderly (e.g.. Bear & Guy, 1976;Ivester & King, 1977;Thomas & Yamamoto, 1975)» other studies have found children to hold negative at titudes toward the elderly (e.g., Kastenbaum & Durkee, 1964;Seefeldt et al, 1977;Weinberger, 1979) Marcoen, 1979? Weinberger & Millhan, 1975 or feelings of ambivalence or "neutralism" (e.g., Britton & Britton, 1970;Lane, 1964 Marcoen, 1979).…”

“…The bulk of the research performed in the area of atti tudes toward the elderly has provided evidence supporting the 2 proposition of generally unfavorable attitudes toward aging and the elderly by society (e.g., Aaronson, I966;Kogan & Shelton, 1962;Naus, 1973;Seefeldt, Jantz, Galper, & Serock, 1977). The studies, for the most part, have addressed the question of how adults (usually college students) have ster eotyped the aged, although some research has been performed .on the attitudes of other age groups (such as adolescents)…”

The impact of participation in an oral history project on adolescents' attitudes toward old people

“…In one study, elementary school children identified the oldest man in a series of pictures, described activities they could do with this person, and how they would feel if they were that old (Seefeldt, Jantz, Galper, & Serock, 1977). The children had negative views of the aged and offered physical and behavioral stereotypes including passive, helpless behavior as common in old age.…”