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Does job-related training performance decline with age?
J E Kubeck1, N D Delp, T K Haslett
1Department of Psychology, University of Akron, Ohio 44325-4301, USA.
Psychology and Aging
|March 1, 1996
Summary
Older adults generally exhibit poorer job training performance compared to younger adults, showing less mastery and slower completion times. This meta-analysis synthesizes findings from 6,610 individuals across 83 studies.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Human Resources Development
- Organizational Psychology
Background:
- Investigating the impact of aging on workplace learning and skill acquisition is crucial for workforce development.
- Understanding age-related differences in training outcomes informs adaptive learning strategies and human resource policies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To meta-analytically examine the relationship between adult age and job-related training outcomes.
- To quantify age effects on training performance metrics such as material mastery, task completion speed, and program duration.
Main Methods:
- A meta-analytic review synthesizing 83 effect sizes from 6,610 participants.
- Analysis focused on comparing training performance between older and younger adult cohorts.
Main Results:
- Older adults demonstrated significantly poorer training performance across multiple metrics.
- Specifically, older adults showed less mastery of training material (r = -.26), slower final task completion (r = .28), and longer training program duration (r = .42).
- Age effects were generally smaller in field settings compared to laboratory studies.
Conclusions:
- The findings indicate a general trend of reduced training effectiveness for older adults in job-related contexts.
- Implications suggest the need for age-sensitive training designs and support systems in the workplace.
- Further research differentiating between field and laboratory settings may elucidate moderating factors.