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 over-represented 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.