A study with n = 55 younger (18-33 years, M = 23.67) and n = 58 older (61-85 years, M = 71.44) adults investigated age-related differences in social approach and avoidance motivation and their consequences for the experience of social interactions. Results confirmed the hypothesis that a predominant habitual approach motivation in younger adults…

The results showed as much variation within the groups of mature women and young women as between the two groups. Mature women found little in the academic or social life of the institution with which to identify; neither did the young women. (Author/CG)

Recent studies of contextual attributes thought to be automatic have reported deficits among the elderly, raising the question of whether automatic memory processing does require some effortful attention and if so, whether such effort is needed during encoding, storage, or retrieval. This study used a secondary task methodology to examine these…

The effects of age, sex, and curriculum upon the cognitive performance of 20 college students and 20 college-educated elderly individuals were examined. Young adult participants (M=20.55) and elderly participants (M=67.85) were given a battery of formal operational tasks, a measure of field independence/field dependence, a short-term memory…

Attitudes toward the profession were determined among different aged teachers and students enrolled in teacher education programs. No age differences in attitudes among the teacher samples were found but intergroup differences in attitudes were found between students and teachers. These results support Neugarten's hypothesis concerning effect of…

A dialectical schemata framework was used to interpret, code, and compare 27 interviews on the nature of education with freshmen, seniors and faculty members at a small, highly selective liberal arts college in order to provide a description of the organization of dialectical thinking and its presence in mature thought. (Author/DB)

Over the last 20 years, the percentage of older students on college campuses has increased dramatically. Because developmental needs, issues, and stressors for adults differ from those of younger students, the college environment must be reconsidered to respond to adult students. Adult learners tend to be achievement oriented, highly motivated,…

Group interaction research typically focusses on behavior under "laboratory" conditions rather than in less contrived situations. Observation of natural group behaviors at different ages can effect a better understanding of their occurrence and patterning at various developmental stages. Knowledge of age-related group behavior tendencies could…

Cohort differences in perceptions of age appropriate behavior during adulthood were examined. The specific question was to what degree members of three different cohort groups who share a common familial background differ on the degree of acceptance expressed regarding age appropriate behaviors. The sample consisted of three groups of women:…

A study of affective development in the adult, nonresidential students of Empire State College, the college-without-walls, indicates that students experienced significant overall development during the testing period, unlike students in traditional settings. Differentiations in the results on the basis of such factors as age and sex are noted.…

High school and college students (n=160) described their beliefs about the life course and the adulthood transition. College students described older ages of occurrence for leaving home, beginning full-time employment, marriage, and parenthood than did high school students. For both groups, however, marriage and parenthood were thought to occur at…

Use of a semantic differential attitude scale, such as the one developed by Rosencranz and McNevin with the three common factors of autonomy, instrumentality, and acceptability, as well as a fourth dimension interpreted by Holtzman, representing good versus poor affective integration, could potentially reveal similarities as well as differences…

Two studies regarding beliefs about descriptive and prescriptive age norms for adults in developmental transitions were examined in a sample of 214 Australian university students ages 17 to 50. Discusses research methodology. The probable consequences for self-esteem, mental health, and life planning are discussed in the context of the research…

This report reviews a theoretically inspired empirical investigation of individual differences in knowledge, abilities, and nonability traits as part of an ongoing effort to better understand adult intellectual development and to develop more accurate measures of adult intelligence. Twenty Knowledge Scales were constructed, drawing on…