The Stereotyping of Elderly People’s Ability to Learn

Ever heard of the saying:

"You can't teach an old dog new tricks"? 

This saying refers to the stereotypical idea that elderly people are not able to learn new skills. But is it true?

In an online survey research conducted by Rivera Incorporation and the International Federation on Ageing (IFA), 63% of seniors, ages 66 and older, reported that they have been treated unfairly or differently just because of their age and 51% of all Canadians agree that ageism is the most tolerated social prejudice, versus gender- or race-based discrimination (Lozon & Barratt, 2012). In addition, 80% (eight in ten) of Canadians agree that seniors who are older than 75 years of age are seen as less important and are more often ignored than younger generations; and at the same time 35% of Canadians admit they have treated someone differently because of their age (Lozon & Barratt, 2012). Therefore, it is extremely important for the generation of people living in the post-modern era to think about issues such as ageism which exists within the society today because the aging population in Canada is increasing at a rapid rate Ageism is described as the action of discriminating against the elderly because of their old age.

Ageist views are caused by false perceptions of elderly people that manifest from lack of knowledge about the real status of older people or fear of becoming old (Ory, Hoffman, Hawkins, Sanner, & Mockenhaupt, 2003). This can cause people to develop various stereotypical views about elderly based-on simple generalizations such as old people are less intelligent, forgetful, only remember past events, slow learners, not capable of learning new skills. These views cause people to develop myths about the elderly. One such myth is the "old dog new tricks" stereotyp (Ory, Hoffman, Hawkins, Sanner, & Mockenhaupt, 2003). In reality, this stereotype is not true since learning is life-long and many elderly people continue to do so over their lifespan. Moreover, they are capable of learning new ideas and skills. Anecdotally, my own father taught his 81-year-old friend how to use the computer for office work after his retirement as an English teacher. To this present day, his friend is still keeping up with the latest computer technology and using the computer to search newspaper articles to read, watch the news, scan photos, organize them, and type up letters and emails.

The objectives of this post is to describe what are ageist stereotypes; discuss how people’s stereotypes about learning in aging people psychologically harm them; to encourage the public to be less stereotypical of the learning ability of elderly people by suggesting evidence that learning is still taking place in them; and, to describe how engagement in education helps aging people preserve their cognitive abilities.

Firstly, ageist stereotypes are defined as beliefs and expectations about the physical appearances, characteristics, behaviours and hobbies that aging people shares as a group. They act as schemes [1] that impact the way elderly people process social information which in turn shapes their behaviours.

Secondly, stereotyping about aging people’s level of intelligence, memory problems, and ability to learn, harms them by causing elderly people to adopt a negative self-concept [2] and conform to ageist stereotypes As we know, stereotype threat is a real issue and can cause elderly people to maintain negative beliefs about their intelligence, learning capacity and memory, even when disconfirming information is present. Any new information is interpreted as confirming their stereotypes, even if they are not true (Baron, Byrne, Branscombe, & Fritzley, 2011). This negative sense of self in turn changes the way elderly people behave as individuals and drastically lowers their self-esteem. When, elderly people have low self-esteem they are discouraged from engaging in activities that help improve their cognitive abilities such as pursuing education activities or programs. In addition, stereotype threat leads to increased arousal which in turn makes elderly people more prone to anxiety and negative thinking. Increased anxiety interferes with elderly people's performance on complex cognitive tasks such as maintaining their intelligence, learning new skills, and improving their memory, while negative thinking causes them to become highly cautious and critical of their behaviours

Lastly, there is evidence showing that effective learning continues to occur in the elderly. A collaborative survey study conducted by Manitoba's Seniors Organization and University of Manitoba found that out of 221 senior respondents who participated in educational activities in the past two years of their life, about 75% of them reported spending 5 or more hours per month in informal educational activities, and 20 % of old people spent 5 or more hours per month in formal educational activities (Sloane-Seale & Kops, 2010). Many old people continues engaging in education after retirement because they want to pursue interest, enjoy learning, meet people and socialize and also to make productive use of their time. Willadene Zedan is  a great example of a cognitively and socially active senior who pursued post-secondary education at Marian University, graduated with a degree in theology at age of 85, and is currently pursuing a new carer. During Zedan's school years at Marian University, it became very clear to her that education enabled her to do more than just exercise her brain. (Gross, 2013). This valuable opportunity also prepared her for a new career which would allow her to visit seniors who were not blessed with her good health in old age and encourage them to be as physically and mentally active as their situation allowed.

Note: More than 75% (3/4) of all respondents emphasized the importance of engaging in education opportunities after retirement. Adapted from "Older Adult's Participation in Education and Successful Ageing: Implications for University Continuing  Education in Canada" by A. Sloane-Seale, and B. Kops, 2010, Canadian Journal of University Continuing Education, 36, p. 8. Copyright 2010 by University of Manitoba.

Education plays a crucial role in productive ageing because it teaches seniors how to become more independent and self-sufficient (Boulton-Lewis, 2010). Furthermore, it facilitates them in maintaining a good quality of life by equipping the old with interpersonal skills and also coping strategies in the areas of physical and mental health (Boulton-Lewis, 2010). In addition, education preserves yet improves elderly people's cognitive abilities and mental functions by helping them keep up with technological and scientific innovations, develop wisdom, boost intellectual power through mental training, and reverse memory decline (Boulton-Lewis, 2010). Together this education benefits empower seniors to keep their brain active so it is extremely important for the society to be less stereotypical about aging people’s learning and cognitive capacities.

Nowadays, stereotypes about elderly people’s cognitive capacities still predominantly exists in the society. However, the advancement in technology and computer science has enabled seniors to learn without boundaries and time limits so that they can prove their ability to learn beyond age. When more scientific researches show that elderly people can actually learn and benefit from continued education stereotypes imposed on their learning ability will decrease or even end.

Glossary:
[1] Schemes: Generalized knowledge about the physical and social world and how to behave in particular situations and with different kinds of people.
[2] Self-concept: A person's an individual’s knowledge about who he or she is.

Here's a video clip of Zedan:

References: References for the post can be found here.