Changes in Perceptions of Adolescents and of Adolescence from Course Instruction.

One hundred fifty-five college students, enrolled in course on adolescent development, completed a specially designed questionnaire at the beginning and at the end of the semester assessing their attitudes toward contemporary adolescents and about their own memories of their adolescence. Participants changed their stereotyped beliefs on views of adolescents as being scary, promiscuous, committing crimes, and using drugs. Decreases in stereotyped beliefs was associated with higher academic performance in the course. Participants who viewed themselves as acting more adult like and feeling less adolescent, both at the beginning and at the end of the course, also had higher grades.