Assessed adults (N=88) on tasks operationally defining short-term memory structural limitations and process abilities. Although a number of minor chronological age-related differences were noted between monaural and dichotic word list performances, the findings indicated both structural capacity and organizational strategy deficiencies over…

Based on an attributional model of achievement-related behavior, success of a young person and failure of an old person (expected outcomes) were predicted to be attributed to stable causes. Results are discussed in terms of conditions under which negative stereotypes concerning competency of the elderly exert influence. (Author)

Age significantly predicted performances on six memory tests which clearly defied verbal labeling. Low scores of older persons were responsible for the age effect. The progressively lower recognition scores suggested that nonverbal memory processing through all three modalities was affected adversely by age. (Author)

Studied the role of age in the attitude change process by exposing older and younger women to persuasive information presented at different speeds. No overall age differences in the amount of attitude change were observed. (Author)

No age difference was observed on the temporal task, but older adults performed worse on the spatial task. Results indicate normal aging is not associated with poor encoding or retention of all types of information, but affects retention of some information often assumed to be encoded automatically. (Author)

There is a common perception that stresses tend to increase and accumulate with age, but there have been no definitive studies of differences in perceived life stress among different age groups. To study these differences, a quasi-random sample of 215 adults completed a 41 item life-stressor questionnaire, modified from the Paykel (1971) and…

Identified types of moral problems faced by older adults (N=37). The most commonly reported moral problem involved family relationships. Younger subjects identified conflicts between personal behavior and the legal code, while a trend appeared for older subjects to be unable to identify a personal moral conflict. (Author/JAC)

A suicide potential scale is constructed that fits the Guttman scale criteria. The mean suicide potential scores of various age groups support the cohort model with the exception of individuals 75 and older, where it appears that maturation factors play an important role in explaining suicidal behavior. (Author)

Suggests that a careful review of the logical and empirical bases for the myth argument indicates that there is little to justify it. The evidence suggests that if one lives long enough, decrements in at least some of the important abilities of intelligence is likely to occur. (Author/AM)

Surveyed 928 older Bostonians and found a negative correlation between age and alcohol consumption among older adults. Retrospective data suggest that there are cohort or generational patterns of drinking behavior by older adults. Survey provides no insight into the historical factors which account for the differences in alcohol use. (Author/JAC)

Neuroticism was related negatively and extraversion was related positively to most concurrent measures of well-being in both younger and older subsamples. Predictive correlations between personality and subjective well-being showed that enduring personality dispositions antedate and predict measures of personal adjustment to aging. (Author)

Research in aging has placed considerable faith in data collected from the recollections and reminiscences of older people. Retrospective reports were verified against previously collected data to determine the accuracy of topical information provided by anamnestic reports as well as the types of persons most likely to be accurate reporters.…

Attribution theory and gerontology would be enriched by the application of a life-span approach to attribution, involving increased attention to the age of the stimulus person and developmental factors associated with self-attribution. In studies on achievement attributions about older people, chronological age appears to be a more salient cue for…

This report of the hearing before the Senate Committee on Aging concerns the question of aging and its effects on learning and working. Statements by witnesses are recorded to present the results of ongoing longitudinal studies focused on the effects of biological aging and the measurement techniques used to analyze variables associated with…

Research has begun to define the older adult population, not as a homogeneous sample, but as at least two groups with different concerns. To determine the factors contributing to retirement satisfaction, two groups of retirees, i.e., young-olds, aged 75 and under (N=49) and old-olds, over age 75 (N=49), completed the Individual Status Assessment…