SIXTH, NINTH, AND TWELFTH GRADERS' STEREOTYPES AND KNOWLEDGE OF ELDERLY PERSONS

This investigation examined levels of knowledge and stereotyping of older persons by sixth, ninth, and twelfth graders, in an effort to identify patterns of development and factors related to negative stereotypes of elderly persons reported in professional literature. The Tuckman-Lorge Attitude Scale measured stereotyping, the Facts on Aging Quiz measured knowledge, and a separate questionnaire measured the demographic variables of contact with older persons, time spent viewing television, health of elderly relatives, perceived age for a person to be elderly, sources of information about older people, and viewing the movie "On Golden Pond". Test instruments and questions were revised to insure readability at the sixth-grade level. Stereotyping was inversely related to knowledge of older persons. Stereotyping was also inversely related to contact with older persons, perceived age for a person to be elderly, and health of elderly relatives. Stereotyping of older persons increased significantly across grade-levels, and males stereotyped significantly more than did females. Knowledge of older persons did not vary across grade-levels or sex, and knowledge was not correlated with any of the measured variables except stereotyping (discussed above). Many of the most widely held stereotypes among participants described older persons in positive terms rather than the negative stereotypes widely mentioned in the professional literature. In fact, the most negative stereotypes of older persons were among those least believed. The results indicated that while stereotyping appeared to increase as youths were older, the stereotypes of older people accepted by youths were not as denegrating as those reportedly accepted by adults and college students in previous studies. The causes and implications of the findings of this study were not clear due to the correlational design of the study, but the results raise the possibility that the accepted stereotypes about older persons are changing, at least among adolescent youths.