Participation in a course on aging: Knowledge, attitudes, and anxiety about aging in oneself and others

Knowledge, anxiety, and attitudes about older adults and one's own aging we re assessed in 256 college students. The Facts on Aging Quiz (Palmore, 1988 ), the Knowledge of Aging and the Elderly Quiz (Kline, Scialfa, Stier & Bab bitt, 1990), the Anxiety about Aging Scale (Lasher & Faulkender 1993) and t he Aging Semantic Differential (Rosencranz & McNevin, 1969) were administer ed at the end of the semester to students enrolled in an upper level psycho logy course on aging and students enrolled in an introductory psychology co urse (who had never had a course on aging). Comparisons of those finishing the psychology of aging course and those never having taken a course on agi ng revealed significant differences in knowledge of aging and the elderly a nd attitudes toward the average 70-year-old. Interestingly, the two groups of students did not differ in personal anxiety about aging and attitudes ab out one's own aging. The implications of these findings are discussed in re lation to attitudinal judgments of oneself versus others and the differenti al benefits of education for attitudes and anxiety about other old adults v ersus attitudes and anxiety about one's own aging.