Fostering Insight into Personal Conceptions of the Elderly: A Simulation Exercise

As a class exercise, Human Development students adopted the roles of elderly individuals by designing costumes to simulate the physical constraints and appearance of advancing age. Then, while engaging in everyday activities, they observed the reactions of themselves and others to their condition and behavior. This activity allowed students to examine their personal conceptions of the elderly. Students reported that the exercise was educational and that it fostered empathy with senior adults