Effects of age on ranking for reduction in work force.

A laboratory experiment tested the hypothesis that age and written descriptions of performance affected simulated evaluations for reduction in work force. 56 supervisors and managers attending night school reviewed written descriptions of seven individuals' performance. Seven different ages ranging from 25 to 63 years were paired with each individual's performance in a within-subject Latin square design. Each subject rated seven simulated individuals on 10 attributes and made recommendations in the form of comparative rankings for a simulated reduction in force. Chronological age effects on performance rankings were not found. Statistically removing rating components (work performance and sociability) from rankings using an analysis of covariance also yielded no age-related bias but did indicate that the subjects were able to distinguish among performance descriptions. These findings are discussed in relation to the Age Discrimination in Employment Act.

Rorschach space response and aggression.

The study investigated the construct validity of the Rorschach space response by factor analyzing the stress-coping reactions to highly stressful conditions. Self-report reactions to stress of 173 medical students measured on the Habits of Nervous Tension showed that space responding loaded highest on a factor identified as "anger affect" and secondarily loaded negatively on a factor identified as "regressive withdrawal." Findings were consistent with earlier results for space response on validity.