Self-reports of 250 persons fifty years of age and older confirm the increasing bias toward reporting a more youthful age as one increases in years. Optimistic perceptions of health care also maintained in older persons. Results from two subsets of this sample (N = 48) further indicate that the youthful and optimistic bias occurs in older persons with poorer and failing health (N = 23) as well as for persons in stable and good health (N = 25). Given the importance of self-perceptions in quality of life and in determining survivability, and given the indication that such measures are modifiable, it is suggested that future research be aimed at identifying those self-perceptions of health and age that are most susceptible to intervention.

The Test of Behavioral Rigidity was administered to a group of Traditional (age ≤ 22 years) and Nontraditional (age ≥ 25 years) college students to assess the significance of mean differences in rigidity scores between the groups. Analysis indicated significant differences between the groups on Personality-Perceptual Rigidity and the Composite Rigidity Quotient, with the Nontraditional students scoring as less rigid (more flexible). Within each group, women were significantly less rigid (more flexible) on Psychomotor Speed Rigidity and on the Composite Rigidity Quotient. Results argue against the belief that Nontraditional students find it difficult to adjust readily to new situations and tasks and that rigidity increases with age. Further, within both groups of students women scored as more flexible than men. Implications of these results for higher education are discussed.

Empirical research on hope, expected effect and future time perspectives has employed a variety of different time frames. This research note contends that the effect of these time frames, frequently established by temporal instructions, merits further investigation. The present research compares four sets of time frame instructions with college students in the mid-west of the USA. Results indicate a significant increase of hope across the three specific time frames (with hope `in the next five years' being the greatest). While pessimism and hope for others did not vary with projected time, optimism and hope for self saw an increase through the specific time frames. Consequently, an asymmetry of `situational' versus `dispositional' self attribution for the past and future is proposed for this student population. We suggest that the self/other temporal distinction may be a fruitful area for cross cultural exploration.