Age discrimination in simulated employment contexts: An integrative analysis.

In the area of age discrimination in simulated employment settings, the present study meta-analytically tested 4 primary hypotheses derived from the social psychological stereotyping literature, referred to as the in-group bias, job information, salience, and job stereotype hypotheses. In general, the results supported the in-group bias, job information, and salience hypotheses, in that younger raters tended to give less favorable ratings to older workers when they were not provided with job-relevant information about the workers and when they concurrently rated old and young workers. Future research, including the initiation of research on economic-based age stereotypes, as well as practice directions related to valuing age diversity in organizational stakeholder groups are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Age-related differences in children's perceptions of social deviance: Changes in behavior or in perspective?

Previous research by the present authors (see record 1985-14217-001) revealed grade-related changes in children's ratings of aggression and withdrawal in peers. The contributions to such changes of age-related differences in the perspective of the raters and in the behavior of the children rated were investigated. Study 1 examined 120 teachers' ratings of aggression and withdrawal in 1st-, 4th-, and 7th-grade children to assess effects of age of children rated. In contrast to earlier findings with peer raters, no differences were found across grade level in the organization of teacher ratings. Study 2 examined age of rater differences in 436 1st-, 4th-, and 7th-grade Ss' beliefs about behavior that might be displayed by hypothetical peers. Differences paralleled those observed earlier in children's actual peer ratings. Study 3 examined 351 1st- and 7th-grade Ss' ratings of peers who were older or younger than the raters to assess the influence of age of rater on Ss' ratings. Age of rater effects emerged even when Ss rated peers who were not their age mates. These findings suggest that differences across grade level reported in children's peer ratings largely reflect differences in the child raters' view of behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Preferences for emotional information in older and younger adults: A meta-analysis of memory and attention tasks.

The authors conducted a meta-analysis to determine the magnitude of older and younger adults' preferences for emotional stimuli in studies of attention and memory. Analyses involved 1,085 older adults from 37 independent samples and 3,150 younger adults from 86 independent samples. Both age groups exhibited small to medium emotion salience effects (i.e., preference for emotionally valenced stimuli over neutral stimuli) as well as positivity preferences (i.e., preference for positively valenced stimuli over neutral stimuli) and negativity preferences (i.e., preference for negatively valenced stimuli to neutral stimuli). There were few age differences overall. Type of measurement appeared to influence the magnitude of effects; recognition studies indicated significant age effects, where older adults showed smaller effects for emotion salience and negativity preferences than younger adults. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Time course of allocation of visual attention after equating for sensory differences: An age-related perspective.

Adult age differences in the time course of the allocation of visual attention were investigated, in 2 experiments that both included the same 10 younger adults (M?=?22 years) and 10 older adults (M?=?68 years). In Experiment 1, older adults accumulated information about target identity at a slower rate than younger adults, as represented by the rise in accuracy as a function of target duration. To equate performance in a baseline condition in a spatial-cuing paradigm (Experiment 2), target duration was set for each observer on the basis of the data in Experiment 1. Performance for the 2 age groups was comparable, both in the baseline condition and in the time course of attention, as indexed by the function relating accuracy to cue-target onset asynchrony. The authors conclude that, in this spatial-cuing paradigm, an age-related change is evident in sensory processing but not in attentional allocation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Body thiamine level in acute alcohol psychoses

PURPOSE: To compare admission data and academic performances of medical students younger and older than 25, and to qualify older students' experiences and perceptions in medical school. METHOD: The authors reviewed 1988-1991 data for applications to the McGill University Faculty of Medicine. Data included GPAs and MCAT scores, as well as ratings for reference letters, autobiographical statements, and interviews. For those same years, the authors measured students' academic performances in the preclinical and clinical years. The authors compared the data by students' age: "younger" students, aged 17 to 24; and "older" students, aged 25 and above. All enrolled students took the Derogatis Stress Profile, and the older students participated in focus groups. RESULTS: The older applicants had lower GPAs and MCAT scores, but higher interview and reference letter ratings. For older accepted students, basic science course scores were lower than those of younger students, but clinical scores did not differ significantly between the groups. The two groups had similar stress levels, although older students tested lower in driven behavior, relaxation potential, attitude posture, and hostility. In focus groups, the older students spoke of learning style differences, loss of social support, and loss of professional identity. CONCLUSION: Different scores in admission criteria suggest that McGill uses different standards to select older medical students. Older students admitted under different criteria, however, do just as well as do younger students by their clinical years. A broad-based study of admission criteria and outcomes for the older student population is warranted.     

Perceptions of intergenerational communication by young, middle-aged, and older Canadians.

Young, middle-aged, and older Canadians (N = 240) evaluated their past communicative experiences with older and younger adults who were not family as well as undertaking an age-stereotyping task. The latter showed that ratings of attributed benevolence increased with target age but personal vitality declined; young raters attributed older people with the least personal vitality. Communication with older targets was rated more negatively in terms of their being more nonaccommodating and avoided. Although these (and other) differences were more evident for young respondents, older adults, too, indicated problems communicating with same-aged peers. Middle-aged respondents rated communication experiences similarly to their older counterparts. The study also examined whether the communication variables predicted older people's psychological functioning. In contrast to the intergenerational focus of the communication predicament model of aging, perceived accommodation from other older adults predicted life satisfaction and age group esteem. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Role of Age in the Perceptions of Politics--Job Performance Relationship: A Three-Study Constructive Replication.

This research examined the interaction of organizational politics perceptions and employee age on job performance in 3 studies. On the basis of conservation of resources theory, the authors predicted that perceptions of politics would demonstrate their most detrimental effects on job performance for older workers. Results across the 3 studies provided strong support for the hypothesis that increases in politics perceptions are associated with decreases in job performance for older employees and that perceptions of politics do not affect younger employees' performance. Implications of these results, strengths and limitations, and directions for future research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The moderating influence of physical fitness on age gradients in vigilance and serial choice responding tasks.

The moderating influence of physical fitness on age gradients in measures obtained from vigilance and serial choice responding tasks is examined in a sample of 90 postal workers. Physiological data relating to aerobic fitness determined fitness level within 2 age groups: younger participants ages 18 to 30 years (M ?=?25.19; 24 men, 24 women) and older participants ages 43 to 62 years (M ?=?49.19; 20 men, 22 women). A performance decrement across time was found in several measures, and some variation as a function of age was apparent. However, post hoc statistical analyses did not indicate this was due to older adults underperforming younger adults. According to predictions, significant Age?×?Fitness interactions showed older less fit workers to consistently underperform other participants. The findings suggest that older less fit individuals have lower signal sensitivity and processing speed than older fitter people and younger individuals. Results are discussed in relation to underlying physiological mechanisms. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Moderating effects of personal and contextual factors in age discrimination.

The researchers explored personal and contextual factors that inhibit or facilitate the use of older worker stereotypes in a selection context. The authors suggest that older worker stereotypes are more likely to be used and influence applicant evaluations when raters are biased against older workers, when raters do not have the cognitive resources to inhibit the use of age-associated stereotypes, or when applicants apply for age-incongruent jobs. The researchers explored the extent to which raters differing in older worker bias make discriminatory decisions about young or old individuals applying for age-typed jobs under conditions of high- and low-cognitive demands. A laboratory study was conducted with 131 undergraduate students who evaluated applicants in a simulated employment context. Results indicated that older worker bias, cognitive busyness, and job age-type interact to affect the extent to which applicant age plays a role in selection decisions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of rater accountability on the accuracy and the favorability of performance ratings.

The authors tested the effects of holding raters accountable for their performance ratings on the accuracy and the favorability of those ratings. Undergraduate research participants (N?=?247) completed an inbasket exercise and observed a videotaped simulation during 2 sessions over a 2-wk period. The simulation presented performance information on 4 simulated subordinates portrayed through videotaped vignettes. True performance scores were manipulated by varying the proportion of positive and negative performance vignettes presented for each subordinate. Participants who were made to feel accountable by having to justify their ratings to the experimenter in writing rated their simulated subordinates more accurately. In another experimental condition, accountable raters who were told their subordinates' previous performance ratings were too low rated their subordinates more favorably than did raters in the same experimental condition who were not accountable. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Adrenergic stimulation of Na/K pump current in adult rat cardiac myocytes in short-term culture

This research examined self-perception and the perception of age groups by young and elderly adults from the perspective of social identity theory and social categorization theory. Respondents rated either themselves or unfamiliar stimulus persons from three age categories in adulthood: young, middle-aged, and elderly. As expected, an ingroup bias was found in the evaluation of elderly adults. Specifically, compared to ratings made by younger adults, older adults evaluated elderly persons more favorably. Moreover, as predicted, elderly adults' self-evaluations and those of young adults asked to imagine themselves as elderly were more positive than the ratings made by respondents who evaluated an unfamiliar older adult (e.g., elderly woman, elderly man). Both cognitive and motivational processes were discussed as contributing to the phenomenon of self-other discrepancy in beliefs about and attitudes toward older adults.     

Age-related equivalence of identity suppression in the Stroop color-word task.

Previous failures to find reliable identity suppression (identity negative priming) in older adults have led to conclusions that older adults suffer from an impairment in the inhibitory component of selective attention. Here, 2 experiments using the Stroop procedure found identity suppression in older adults that was both reliable and equivalent to that in younger adults. Experiment 1 with repeated target colors produced correlations consistent with an episodic retrieval explanation of identity suppression, Experiment 2 without repeated targets produced correlations inconsistent with the episodic retrieval interpretation. These patterns were found for both younger and older adults. No evidence was found for reduced identity suppression that would be consistent with a general inhibitory impairment in older adults. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Age differences in choice satisfaction: A positivity effect in decision making.

The authors tested the possibility that older adults show a positivity effect in decision making, by giving younger and older adults the opportunity to choose 1 of 4 products and by examining the participants' satisfaction with their choice. The authors considered whether requiring participants to explicitly evaluate the options before making a choice has an effect on age differences in choice satisfaction. Older adults in the evaluation condition listed more positive and fewer negative attributes than did younger adults and were more satisfied with their decisions than were younger adults. There were no age differences among those who did not evaluate options. This evaluation-dependent elevation of satisfaction among older adults was still present when participants were contacted 2 weeks after the experiment. Age did not influence the accuracy with which participants predicted how their satisfaction would change over time. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression: Reliability and validity of judgments of novice raters.

Reliability studies of the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD) in therapy-outcome research require at least 2 clinicians. The present authors hypothesized that a less costly alternative, such as using trained undergraduates as 2nd raters, would produce results comparable to the use of 2 clinicians. Four expert raters provided criterion ratings for the HRSD on 20 depressed women. Three trained undergraduates rated the same Ss. The expert and student raters both made reliable ratings on the HRSD. Estimates of criterion validity for the student raters were also in the satisfactory range. (9 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Adult Age Differences in Knowledge-Driven Reading.

The authors investigated the effects of domain knowledge on online reading among younger and older adults. Individuals were randomly assigned to either a domain-relevant (i.e., high-knowledge) or domain-irrelevant (i.e., low-knowledge) training condition. Two days later, participants read target passages on a computer that drew on information presented in the high-knowledge training session. For both age groups, knowledge improved comprehension and recall and facilitated the processing of topic shifts during reading. In addition, domain knowledge had differential effects on processing across the 2 age groups. Among older (but not younger) readers, domain knowledge increased the time allocated to organization and integration processes (wrap-up) and increased the frequency of knowledge-based inferences during recall. These results suggest that among older readers, domain knowledge engenders an investment of processing resources during reading, which is used to create a more elaborated representation of the situation model. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Unwanted thought: Age differences in the correction of social judgments.

This study used a false information paradigm to study age differences in the correction of social judgments. Younger and older adults read 2 criminal reports, with true information printed in black and false information in red. Following the reports, all participants were asked to recommend prison terms among other ratings. Age differences in baseline measures were also assessed by corresponding control groups who read only true information. Compared with younger adults under full attention, older adults under full attention and younger adults under divided attention were reliably influenced by the nature of the false statements (either extenuating or exacerbating the severity of the crimes). When contrasted with their relevant control groups, older adults under full attention and younger adults under divided attention failed to correct their social judgments. This study lends support to a processing resource explanation for age differences in the correction process for social judgments. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Aging and work: How do SOC strategies contribute to job performance across adulthood?

The authors examined the impacts of selection, optimization, and compensation (SOC) strategies—elective selection, loss-based selection, optimization, and compensation—on job performance across adulthood. A cross-sectional survey (Study 1, N = 355) and a 5-day experience sampling study (Study 2, N = 87) were conducted to assess Chinese insurance sales workers’ global and momentary employment of SOC strategies at work and compare the effectiveness of these strategies in predicting their job performance. Study 1 revealed that the use of compensation predicted higher performance maintenance among older workers, whereas the use of elective selection contributed positively to sales productivity for both age groups, with stronger association for younger workers. Study 2 demonstrated that the positive impact of SOC strategies on global and momentary measures of job performance differed across tasks with various difficulty levels. When the task was perceived as highly difficult, older workers’ greater use of elective selection predicted higher self-rated task performance; however, the positive association was weaker among younger workers. Older workers’ greater use of the 4 SOC strategies was positively associated with sales increases when the task was not difficult or moderately difficult, yet the relationship was negative when the task was highly difficult. A reverse pattern was observed among younger workers. This article contributes to the understanding of working adults’ psychological adaptation to the process of aging and reveals the moderating role of task difficulty on the association between SOC strategies and performance outcomes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evaluations of older and younger adult speakers: Influence of communication effectiveness and noise.

University students (N?=?96) performed 3 communication tasks presented to them either by young men (mean age?=?26 yrs) or by older men (mean age?=?77 yrs). In counterbalanced order, students heard speakers in 3 message conditions (effective, ineffective, and noise). The messages of older men and the older men themselves were evaluated less positively than were younger men. In line with the hypothesis of age-biased behavioral interpretation, older adults speaking effectively were not accorded the same evaluative benefits over their less-effective guises, especially on competence ratings, as were younger speakers. Furthermore, the noise condition was predictably more detrimental to ratings of the older speakers, who were more vulnerable to generalized negative affect. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Collaboration reduces the frequency of false memories in older and younger adults.

Older (mean age = 74.23) and younger (mean age = 33.50) participants recalled items from 6 briefly exposed household scenes either alone or with their spouses. Collaborative recall was compared with the pooled, nonredundant recall of spouses remembering alone (nominal groups). The authors examined hits, self-generated false memories, and false memories produced by another person's (actually a computer program's) misleading recollections. Older adults reported fewer hits and more self-generated false memories than younger adults. Relative to nominal groups, older and younger collaborating groups reported fewer hits and fewer self-generated false memories. Collaboration also reduced older people's computer-initiated false memories. The memory conversations in the collaborative groups were analyzed for evidence that collaboration inhibits the production of errors and/or promotes quality control processes that detect and eliminate errors. Only older adults inhibited the production of wrong answers, but both age groups eliminated errors during their discussions. The partners played an important role in helping rememberers discard false memories in older and younger couples. The results support the use of collaboration to reduce false recall in both younger and older adults. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A meta-analysis of ratee race effects in performance ratings.

Conducted a meta-analysis of how the race of the ratee affects performance ratings by examining 74 studies with a total sample of 17,159 ratees for White raters and 14 studies with 2,428 ratees for Black raters. The 5 moderators examined were the study setting, rater training, type of rating, rating purpose, and the racial composition of the work group. Results show that the corrected mean correlations between ratee race and ratings for White and Black raters were .183 and –.220, with 95% confidence intervals that excluded zero for both rater groups. Substantial moderating effects were found for study setting and for the saliency of Blacks in the sample. Race effects were more likely in field settings when Blacks composed a small percentage of the work force. Both Black and White raters gave significantly higher ratings to members of their own race. It is suggested that future research should focus on understanding the process underlying race effects. References for the studies included are appended. (47 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)