Effectiveness of a Simulation Activity to Promote Positive Attitudes and Perceptions of the Elderly

Leadership in geriatric education includes conducting research to identify instructional activities that have a positive influence on students' perceptions of the elderly. This paper evaluates the effectiveness of a simulation activity to promote positive attitudes and perceptions of the elderly among undergraduate occupational therapy students. Wright's coping‐versus‐succumbing theory of attitude change was used to develop a simulation of sensory changes in the elderly. An experimental design was used to measure changes in students' attitudes and perceptions of the elderly as potential patients (N = 44) using two instruments developed by the author. Analysis of covariance, McNemar's Test of Symmetry, and t‐tests were used to determine the effects of the simulation intervention. Results indicated that scores for the experimental group (n = 22) became more positive, while scores for the control group (n = 22) became more negative. The findings contradict earlier studies in which negative outcomes were found in subjects who simulated age‐related physical changes.