The humanist and critical principles of educational gerontology attribute different goals to education in later life. Self-Actualization is the goal of humanist educational gerontology, while empowerment, emancipation, and social change are the goals of critical educational gerontology. Liberal arts education is dominant in later-life learning.…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to provide an intergenerational exchange as undergraduate students taking an introductory Psychology of Aging course, interviewed and watched films with older adult participants (N = 13) residing in an assisted living community. The undergraduate researchers (N = 10) conducted and transcribed interviews,…

One area that remained off the research radar is that interface between senior centers and learning programs, and hence, their potential to act as community-based learning hubs. Countering such a state of affairs, this article reports on an action research study to investigate the extent that a transformative learning program in a senior center…

The goal of the current project was to examine whether engaging in social activity may moderate or mediate the relation between age and cognitive functioning. A large age range sample of adults performed a variety of cognitive tests and completed a social activities questionnaire. Results did not support the moderator hypothesis, as age…

This study investigated a sample of California elementary, intermediate, and high school employed teachers (N = 247) to assess the effects of retirement perceptions on career commitment among teachers who are in different age groupings. Using path analysis, the influence of five retirement perceptions variables was examined: concerns about…

Little is known about younger adults' attitudes towards age-related sexual changes and behaviors. Research using the Aging Sexuality Knowledge and Attitudes Scale (ASKAS) (White, 1982) has been effective in determining knowledge and attitudes among the staff of long-term care facilities, nurses, undergraduate nursing students, health care…

Attitudinal information was collected from two groups to compare the attitudes of older adults and younger adults toward educational media. Results indicated no basic differences in attitudes toward educational media between the two groups. (Author)

Some of the problems ordinarily attributed to poor learning and bad memory in older adults can be accounted for by inadequate stimulus or response output. Prospects for improving learning and memory efficiency in older adults are thus better than formerly believed. (SK)

Explored the use of adult education programing in addressing the needs of 50 midlife caregivers. Results showed younger respondents had more requests for information. Information related to the aging process was of greatest concern. Instructional methods that allowed personal interaction were selected for content areas of a personal nature. (JAC)

Young adults, middle-aged, and old persons (n=150) participated in a study of creativity and age. Results showed age differences in creativity to the disadvantage of the old. Reduced speed of information processing, lower level of complexity, and decreased willingness to risk original solutions by age are offered as explanations. (Author/AS)

Perceived community function (PCF) provides a model for assessing the role of environmental attributes in individual well-being. Subjects over 60 viewed health and nutritional programs as maintenance functions, while turning to senior centers for both maintenance and recreation. Delivery systems must consider the different expectations of…

If it can be shown that social workers work differently with the elderly than with younger clients, then students who wish to work with the elderly should be taught some special principles regarding treatment of the elderly. To explore this issue, seven clinicians who had extensive experience in treating the elderly were interviewed regarding how…

The instrumental and expressive utilities of participating in education differ among participants. To ascertain how age affects their perception of these forms of utility, questionnaires were executed by 400 middle class participants ages 18-84 in 45 classes for adults in the Chicago area. Independent variables influencing perception of utility…

Differences in life outlook and self-perceived health often attributed to age differences among the elderly were found to be more accurately explained by education. The young-old (62-74 years) and the old-old (75 years and older) were compared among 495 elderly in two rural counties in western Arkansas during 1977. The respondents had a median…

Using data on life satisfaction from the 1975 Harris National Survey, the psychometric equivalent of the factor structures was examined across four age groupings: ages 18 to 30, 31 to 44, 45 to 64, and 65 and over. Factor invariance was not supported. Results point out that the factor structures of the age groups were dissimilar and that the…