Describes an epidemiological study of the patterns and correlates of survival after early (age 62 to 64) and normal retirement (age 65). Death rates were significantly elevated during the first, fourth, and fifth years after early retirement. Pre-retirement health status was the only significant predictor of survival after early retirement.…

Younger (N=48) and older (N=48) males participated in a vocabulary task involving varying degrees of risk under neutral, supportive, and challenging instructions. Results indicated older adults were more cautious, selected tasks with higher probabilities of success, and were less likely to raise their level of aspiration following success. (Author)

Geriatric ward patients (N=84) were randomly assigned to groups targeted for outplacement planning or inpatient care. During the following year, the mean Morale Inventory score of the outplacement sample improved while that of the inpatient group remained statis. Results argue for an increased emphasis on outplacement programs among geriatric…

The plight of minority aged has been characterized as one of double jeopardy. Other research has indicated that gaps between minority and majority individuals decline with age. To test these competing hypotheses, a series of health, income, life satisfaction, and social participation variables was examined with data from a large sample. (Author)

Effects of marital status on morale relative to five covariates were examined with 232 widowed and 363 married women aged 45-74. Lower morale scores found among the widowed may be partly attributable to other factors commonly associated with this status and not due to the role of widowhood per se. (Author)

Ambulatory geriatric patients (N=370) were rated on the Geriatric Rating Scale and results factor analyzed. The scale was found to be composed of three factors: Withdrawal/Apathy, Antisocial Disruptive Behavior, and Deficits in Activities of Daily Living. The results help explain some of the findings regarding sex differences in previous research.…

A life cycle explanation of residential mobility is presented. It posits that age-related events in a normative context influence moving probabilities for homogeneous populations who have relatively uniform socialization. (Author)

Assessed five scales as mental health measures for older persons (N=318). The internal consistency reliabilities for the anxiety, depression, and well-being scales were moderately high to high, but the reliabilities for the affect balance scale suggest some caution. Cutting points for the well-being and depression scales are suggested. (Author/JAC)

Assessed whether part-time employment affects the perceived health, life satisfaction, and activity of urban retirees (N=55). Program participants were hired to perform park maintenance. Interviews after the 6-month program revealed significant, positive effects of paid employment on measures of perceived health and life satisfaction. (Author/JAC)

Tested recognition memory for items and spatial location by varying picture and word stimuli across four slide quadrants. Results showed a pictorial superiority effect for item recognition and a greater ability to remember the spatial location of pictures versus words for both old and young adults (N=95). (WAS)

Investigated adult age differences in accessing and retrieving information from long-term memory. Results showed that older adults (N=26) were slower than younger adults (N=35) at feature extraction, lexical access, and accessing category information. The age deficit was proportionally greater when retrieval of category information was required.…

Examined the role of social support from parents and others for the psychological well-being of 98 widows. Survey results showed aged parents were the most crucial sources of support; support from others was virtually ineffective. This research suggests important ways middle-aged children may depend upon elderly parents. (Author/JAC)

Tested the hypothesis that increasing problem complexity elicits strategies of greater efficiency from older adults. Responses of older and younger adults were compared in a version of "Twenty Questions." No evidence was found that older adults seek more efficient strategies. Both groups maintained the same strategies. (Author/JAC)

Compared homeless aged men who live on the Bowry or in hotel rooms in New York City. Results showed homelessness is not a uniform category. Sociability differentiated them from nonhomeless age peers and socioeconomic status differentiated the two groups; also found differences in each groups' social adaptation. (Author/JAC)

Compared the life satisfaction of elderly Whites and Blacks. Showed that most factors influencing life satisfaction of elderly people have similar effects among Blacks and Whites. Although greater numbers of physical impairments lead to lower life satisfaction for both races, the negative effect is considerably stronger among Blacks. (Author/JAC)