The Effects of Praise and Reproof on the Performance of Middle Aged and Older Subjects

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Abstract
Aged (n=33) and middle-aged (n-33) Ss were compared on a digit symbol substitution task under three conditions of verbal feedback incentive: praise, reproof, and neutral comment. Elderly Ss appeared to show decrement while middle-aged Ss showed increment under the censure condition. Elderly Ss showed early gains with praise but these were not significantly sustained through later trials as compared to controls. An analysis of “fast” and “slow” responders suggested that the fast-responding aged showed greatest decrement with censure while the middle-aged slow responders showed a tendency toward an increment with censure.