Psychological Implications of Infantilization: A Class Exercise

Abstract

To sensitize undergraduate students to the phenomenon of infantilization, the childlike treatment of older adults, the instructor of a psychology of aging course designed an exercise simulating an activity in a nursing home. The instructor required students to color within the lines of a drawing, commented about their dress and level of compliance, and spoke in a patronizing manner. The 138 participants recorded their reactions in a three-item questionnaire immediately after the exercise. Most students reacted negatively to the infantilizing treatment but believed that they learned from the experience, making this a valuable teaching method for psychology of aging courses and for introductory or life-span developmental psychology courses.

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