Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 27, 2025

Highlighting and Reducing the Impact of Negative Aging Stereotypes During Older Adults' Cognitive Testing
Published on: January 24, 2020
Instapals: Reducing ageism by facilitating intergenerational contact and providing aging education
Ashley Lytle1, Nancy Nowacek2, Sheri R Levy3
1Department of Social Sciences, Stevens Institute of Technology , Hoboken, New Jersey, USA.
Abstract:
Utilizing the PEACE (Positive Education about Aging and Contact Experiences) model as a theoretical foundation, Instapals was a novel ageism reduction intervention with undergraduate students in a non-gerontology course that 1) provided aging education and 2) facilitated positive 1-to-1 intergenerational relationships with older adults (individuals 65+) through daily exchanges on Instagram for 30 days and two in-person meetings. Paired t-tests demonstrate a significant decrease in aging anxiety, psychological concerns about aging, and negative stereotyping of older adults. Results from coded open-ended responses suggest an overall positive experience with Instapals and more positive attitudes toward aging and older adults across a semester. Findings from the first test of Instapals, a theoretically-driven intervention, shows promise for reducing ageism among larger samples and in other settings.
Related Concept Videos
Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Discrimination
Aging
Cellular Clock Theory
The cellular clock theory posits that the human lifespan is closely tied to the finite capacity of cells to divide, a phenomenon governed by telomeres, which are protective caps at the ends of...
Cognitive Development During Adulthood
Drug Dosing: Geriatric Patients
Pharmacodynamics in Geriatric Patients: Effects of Age
Erikson's Theory on Socioemotional Development during Adulthood
Intimacy Versus Isolation in Early Adulthood
Individuals in early...

