| In our increasingly mobile society families are no longer extended to include the elderly, but have become separate nuclear units that usually exclude the elderly. This phenomenon has left an entire generation of young people undereducated and insensitive toward the elderly and the process of aging. Research indicates that children as young as three-years old hold negative and stereotypic attitudes toward the elderly.;This thesis examined the effect of a positive, non-stereotypical, and realistic portrayal of the elderly in a six-week literature intervention upon changing the negative attitudes of kindergarten-age children. Additionally, children's preconceived concepts of the elderly were examined. Using the Children's Attitudes Toward the Elderly Scale (CATE), experimental and control groups were determined to hold preconceived and behavioral stereotypic attitudes toward the elderly. Posttest analysis further indicated that the literature intervention was effective in fostering positive attitudes toward the elderly in the treatment group. |
