Variation in temporal experience among the aged has been found to be a function of a number of variables. The sociological and phenomenological literature suggest two as being of crucial importance: work and retirement, and health and illness. These were investigated in this study. (Author)

The National Institutes of Health Academic Research Enhancement Award (AREA) program introduces research funding into regional universities and liberal arts colleges where hurdles to successful pursuit of research programs are substantial. Nevertheless, the authors of papers in this issue competed successfully and have benefited undergraduates in…

Recent publications of longitudinal and sequential analyses of psychometric data have been cited as evidence for "the myth of intellectual decline" with age. This term "myth" has been interpreted by many gerontologists to mean that intellectual functioning does not decline even late in life (except shortly before death). Furthermore, this…

Examines the effects of contemporaneous circumstances on the death attitudes of older adults. Findings suggest that the present social and psychological environment of the aged plays a less significant role in their attitudes toward death than is presently reflected in social gerontology. (Author)

Path analysis was used on survey responses of 1106 persons age 50 or over. Stage one variables were recent retirement, recent widowhood or divorce, age, and sex. Stage two variables included self-rated health, functional health, health trend, and self-rated income adequacy. It was expected that these variables might directly affect morale or…

Views of decision-makers regarding pre- and post-retirement activities, the sources of information used to learn about older persons, and the impact these sources had on their views about these activities were investigated. Data was gathered from 211 decision-makers that included two subgroups of private sector leaders and two subgroups of public…

A preliminary training and evaluation program was initiated by the Houston Area Agency on Aging. Several pilot training programs were tested, and information was gathered on the current and desired training status of personnel in service-providing agencies. Inspection of obective and subjective reports suggests that future training programs should…

Forty elderly adults were required to memorize a list of 15 simple nouns belonging to three separate categories. The arrangement of the list of nouns (randomized or completely categorized) and instructions (instructed that the nouns could be in terms of categories or not instructed) were manipulated as factors. Individuals participating in the…

This study presents a set of opinions on how to obtain rapport with and give preliminary counseling to individuals who have adopted distinct and different aging mannerisms. The nine mannerisms treated were abstracted from the studies of Neugarten and Reichard. The research sample was selected from the members of the Gerontological Society. Six…

This paper discusses the quantitative and qualitative aspects of the relationship between cognitive abilities and behavioral competencies in elderly institutional residents. The former was assessed by an array of five cognitive measures: two Piagetian tasks, Set Test, WAIS Vocabulary and Digit Span subtests, and the WMS Associate Learning subtest;…

This paper reflects selected findings from a study of successful coping mechanisms used by elderly individuals who, approximately two years before the time of being interviewed, had experienced a major crisis identified as either: (1) the death of a significant individual with whom the elderly person has in most cases been living until the time of…

This study focuses on the impact of age on interpersonal evaluation of persons, particularly the elderly as individuals and not as a group. Using a 75-year-old target and a 23-year-old target, the experimenter predicted and found support for the idea that personal information contained in a transcript would evoke sympathy, and thereby lead…

Analysis of data from 13 planned new communities, 13 control communities, and two retirement communities indicates that a highly effective model for predicting service preferences can be constructed using per capita income, age, sex and community type. This model limits itself to data available to all planned organizations and suggests that,…

The empty nest has been thought to be associated with low morale among women. The emphasis on the mother role among Mexican American families may result in a stronger negative association between low morale and the empty nest among Mexican American women than among white women. This study tests two hypotheses: first, that the empty nest is…

This is a study of decision-making patterns among urban community-living older adults. Focus is on the utilization of resources by the elderly. The sample consists of 410 respondents who were interviewed twice. The results show that action-taking related to a significant life event is the most important predictor of well-being. Significant…