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

Using data collected from undergraduates at two large, public universities (N = 183), we examined features of student drawings (e.g., facial expressions) as reflections of dominant views of the elderly. Sketches depicted both negative (e.g., frailty) and positive stereotypes (e.g., kindness). They also illustrate gender inequality; for example, men are overrepresented in the drawings relative to their proportion in the elderly population. We discuss the use of student drawings as a tool to stimulate discussion on the social construction of “old age,” the double standard of aging, and the nature, origin, and consequences of ageism.