title: Variations in cognitive, perceptual, and psychomotor abilities across the working life span: examining the effects of race, sex, experience, education, and occupational type.
abstract: Cognitive, perceptual, and psychomotor abilities were examined across the working life span for different racial groups, taking into consideration sex, job experience, education, and occupational type. Data included scores on all subtests of the General Aptitude Test Battery for White, Black, and Hispanic employees. Age and sex generally accounted for a relatively small percentage of the variance in ability test scores when experience, education, and occupational type were controlled. Race accounted for a substantial amount of variance in test performance, even after controlling for education, experience, occupational type, and age. Findings are discussed in terms of the potential for specific experiences and continuing education to affect the maintenance of abilities at later points in the life span for all racial groups.
authors.affiliation: School of Management, Binghamton University, New York 13902-6000.
authors.forename: B J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Avolio
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Waldman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology*; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D001076:Aptitude; D001077:Aptitude Tests / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002321:Career Choice; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011939:Mental Recall; D008875:Middle Aged; D009790:Occupations; D011594:Psychometrics; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D012737:Sex Factors; D044465:White People / Q000523:psychology*