Describes the social role of cognitive growth throughout the lifetime. Includes mediation, self-regulation, metacognition, the zone of proximal development, and critical and creative thinking. Discusses resources, methodology, and goals of education in a democratic society. Emphasizes the value of independent, self-monitoring individuals who…

Examines differences in perceived caregiver availability among a random sample of Mexican American and non-Hispanic white young-old residents in three socioeconomically distinct neighborhoods. For MAs across all three socioeconomic status groups, being female, widowed, and having more chronic illnesses was associated with a lesser likelihood of…

The International Conference on Rural Aging (June 2000) endorsed policy recommendations in the following areas: health and active aging of older rural people; education, participation, and rights of older rural people; policy development, advocacy, and implementation; components of successful model policies and programs; implications for…

The profession of psychology is responding to this culture's rapidly changing problems related to an aging population. A central theme regarding the training of clinical geropsychologists has been that education should be sequentially organized across levels, from undergraduate, to graduate, internship, postdoctoral, and continuing education for…

This article reprises four presentations on "Gerontology Education in Kenya," a seminar at the 2004 Annual Meeting of the Association of Gerontology in Higher Education. It describes the process by which the Gerontology Institute of Georgia State University established a 3-year gerontology education and research partnership with Kenyatta…

Literary texts are cultural artifacts revealing a society's values and attitudes; reading literature about elders and old age can change readers' ageist attitudes. Beginning with these assumptions, I discuss ways of teaching cross-cultural aging in undergraduate literature courses, using Chilean texts paired with American texts. Students learn how…

From this examination of adult education literature through significant program areas, these conclusions were drawn: (1) denial of the harmful effects of change is apparent; (2) the consideration of global issues is limited; and (3) there is a notable absence of specific strategies for meeting projected educational needs. (Author/SK)

Assesses students' concepts of aging at the beginning, middle, and end of a psychology of aging course. Results show students' knowledge reflected stereotypes in the beginning, but during the course, new concepts appeared. Claims instructors can benefit from using this technique to plan and assess success of course goals. (Author/NL)

Described is an interdisciplinary science course for non-science majors taught by faculty from five different departments. Discussed is the make-up of the course, its relative strengths and weaknesses, and possibilities for further adaptation. Topics covered include the nature of science, health care, the aging process, and environmental issues.…

Using content analysis, this study evaluated the aging content and context in 11 nutrition sub-specialty textbooks: community nutrition (n = 3), diet therapy (n = 4), and nutrition and aging (n = 4). Pages with paragraphs on aging were identified in community nutrition and diet therapy textbooks, and 10% random samples of pages were evaluated in…

Attempts to narrow the scope of present uncertainties about the older population by sketching a psychosocial profile of the older people of tomorrow based on what is known today. Focuses on the baby boom generation and the interplay between personal attributes they could bring to late life and the social and physical environment in which they…

The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of three college courses on attitude change toward older adults. To measure attitude change the Kogan Attitudes Toward Old People Scale (1961) was administered to 221 college students at the beginning and end of the semester. Participants were enrolled in one of three college courses: Child…

Describes an interdisciplinary curriculum on aging that incorporates intergenerational activities, inquiry-oriented research, narrative histories, and field trips. Includes separate questionnaires for older adults and primary grade students, an annotated bibliography, and a chart of activities emphasizing knowledge, comprehension, analysis,…

While a relatively small number of clinical psychology graduate programs offer specialized tracks in clinical geropsychology, the need for psychologists trained to work with older adults is increasing. This paper presents a model of training that could be adopted by generalist training programs to better prepare their students to work with older…

Gerontology, geriatrics, and aging studies (GGA) academic programs are charged to produce competent graduates to work in the field of aging. The Association for Gerontology in Higher Education recommends core courses that are required in GGA academic programs throughout the United States. This article reports findings on the role of the core…