The study of performance factors plays an increasingly salient role in understanding the range of intraindividual variability (plasticity) in intellectual aging. Among performance factors considered are aspects of the testing situation. Two studies are reported that examine intraindividual variability in performance on measures of fluid intelligence (figural relations, induction), varying either practice (retesting) or testing time (standard vs. power) conditions. Subjects are elderly community residents (mean age: 70.6 years; range: 60-84 years). Substantial improvement in level of correct performance (with no evidence for changes in test validity) is obtained for both retest and power conditions. Error patterns, however, differ for the two conditions, with a higher proportion of commission errors occurring under power conditions. Results are interpreted as contributing to the position (a) that older persons continue to show learning capacity and (b) that studying the range of performance under varying conditions is critical to an understanding of intellectual aging.A major theme in gerontological intelligence research has been the issue of change and variability in intellectual functioning (Baltes & Labouvie, 1973; Botwinick, 1977;Horn, 1978). This research has focused on individual differences, primarily age differences in adult intellectual performance. However, much less attention has been given to the issue of intraindividual variability. Normative or average level of performanceThe first study reported was conducted as part of the first author's master's thesis under the direction of the second and third authors. The research was supported by National Institute of Aging Grant 5 R01 AG00403-03 awarded to Paul B. Baltes and Sherry L. Willis. The study is part of a research program entitled Adult Development and Enrichment Project (ADEPT), examining the effect of cognitive training on older adults' intellectual performance. Thanks are due to project research assistants Rosemary Blieszner, Steven Cornelius, Margie Lachman, and Ron Spiro, field and training staff Carolyn Nesselroade and Myrtle Williams, and John R. Nesselroade and Paul G. Games, statistical consultants.

The short, portable mental status questionnaire (SPMSQ) developed by Pfeiffer has several advantages over previous short instruments designed to assess the intellectual functioning of older adults. It is based upon data from both institutionalized and community‐dwelling elderly. Although Pfeiffer outlined a four‐group classification, he used two groups in his initial validation study: (a) intact/mildly impaired, and (b) moderately/severely impaired. The present study compared clinicians' ratings with those based upon the SPMSQ scores, and examined the validity of the four‐group classification. The sample included 181 subjects from seven intermediate care facilities and nine home‐care agencies. All were assessed by the OARS questionnaire, which includes the SPSMQ. Three discriminant analyses were performed with three different criteria, for two‐group, three‐group, and four‐group models. Results indicated that the two‐group model (intact/mildly impaired and moderately/ severely impaired) permitted significant discrimination. The four‐group model, however, gave less distinct results. In particular, patients who were mildly intellectually impaired could not be clearly distinguished from those who were intact and from those who were moderately impaired. The three‐group model (minimally, moderately, severely impaired) seemed to offer the best compromise between the gross dichotomy of the original two‐model system and the less accurate four‐category system.

No abstract

The disability and aging communities differ significantly in their perceptions, definitions, and values about the independence and autonomy of disabled individuals. These viewpoints are reflected in the different services and goals of personal assistance provided to older and younger disabled persons. We explore the applicability of the disability approach to personal assistance for older persons and offer ethical, practice-oriented, and political arguments for the aging community to adopt this approach. We also review past efforts toward achieving a "unified agenda" between the aging and disability communities and outline possible future initiatives.

Two patterns are among the most important considerations in planning services for the elderly of the future: (1) the current role of family members in supporting older adults and (2) the present high rate of divorce. Thus far, these patterns may not have significantly affected each other. However, if forecasts of increasing service demands by older adults are correct, service planners must consider what resources will be available to the elderly of the future. In this article, literature from a variety of areas is reviewed focusing on one question: How will the currently high rate of divorce affect the family support system of older adults in the future? Current divorce and remarriage patterns could undermine this support system of the elderly. Possible short-and long-term effects of the demands and emotional consequences of divorce are discussed within this context, and implications for public policy are suggested.