Although many abilities basic to human performance appear to decrease with age, research has shown that job performance does not generally show comparable declines. Baltes and Baltes (1990) have proposed a model of successful aging involving Selection, Optimization, and Compensation (SOC), that may help explain how individuals maintain important competencies despite age-related losses. In the present study, involving a total of 224 working adults ranging in age from 40 to 69 years, occupational measures of Selection, Optimization, and Compensation through impression management (Compensation-IM) were developed. The three measures were factorially distinct and reliable (Cronbach's alpha > .80). Moderated regression analyses indicated that: (1) the relationship between Selection and self-reported ability/performance maintenance increased with age (p < or = .05); and (2) the relationship between both Optimization and Compensation-IM and goal attainment (i.e., importance-weighted ability/performance maintenance) increased with age (p < or = .05). Results suggest that the SOC model of successful aging may be useful in explaining how older workers can maintain important job competencies. Correlational evidence also suggests, however, that characteristics of the job, workplace, and individual may mediate the initiation and effectiveness of SOC behaviors.

PurposeAssessment gamification, which refers to the addition of game elements to existing assessments, is commonly implemented to improved applicant reactions to existing psychometric measures. This study aims to understand the effects of gamification on applicant reactions to and measurement quality of situational judgment tests.Design/methodology/approachIn a 2 × 4 between-subjects experiment, this study randomly assigned 315 people to experience different versions of a gamified situational judgment test, crossing immersive game elements (text, audio, still pictures, video) with control game elements (high and low), measuring applicant reactions and assessing differences in convergent validity between conditions.FindingsThe use of immersive game elements improved perceptions of organizational technological sophistication, but no other reactions outcomes (test attitudes, procedural justice, organizational attractiveness). Convergent validity with cognitive ability was not affected by gamification.Originality/valueThis is the first study to experimentally examine applicant reactions and measurement quality to SJTs based upon the implementation of specific game elements. It demonstrates that small-scale efforts to gamify assessments are likely to lead to only small-scale gains. However, it also demonstrates that such modifications can be done without harming the measurement qualities of the test, making gamification a potentially useful marketing tool for assessment specialists. Thus, this study concludes that utility should be considered carefully and explicitly for any attempt to gamify assessment.

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This study, involving 224 employed adults (aged 40 to 69), investigated the potential moderating effect of gender on the effectiveness of developmental coping dispositions at work. Moderated regression results indicated that, even after controlling for occupational differences, tenacious, goal‐directed coping tendencies were more highly related to occupational satisfaction and well‐being for middle‐aged and older men than for similar women (p < .05). These differences may reflect the operation of gender‐role stereotypes that impede the progress of women at work.

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