The impact of a practicum on aging and reminiscence on gifted students' attitudes toward the elderly

The authors describe an intergenerational practicum for gifted middle school students that uses reminiscence as a primary activity. This experience is designed to dislodge stereotypes about old age. Students interact with the elderly and learn about issues facing the aged in today's society. The authors assess attitudes toward the elderly and measure attitude change to evaluate the program. They show that negative stereotypes are diminished by the experience. They discuss the implications of the findings for curriculum development in programs for the gifted and suggest directions for further research. The authors are grateful to Lolafaye Coyne, Director, Statistical Laboratories, The Menninger Foundation, for consultation regarding data analyses and to Diane E. Wright and Paul W. Pruyser for their comments on an earlier draft of the manuscript.