154 A. T. Welford 



(3) Motivation 



Two questions are often raised about whether older and 

 younger people are equally willing to co-operate in ageing 

 studies, and whether unwillingness by older people distorts 

 the results. The first is that the subjects of almost any 

 intensive study must for obvious human and practical reasons 

 be volunteers, and it may well be that these are on average 

 bolder and somewhat abler than their contemporaries. If so, 

 and if the older subjects are, in fact, more highly selected in 

 this respect, age trends in their performance might be unduly 

 favourable. The second question is that experimental tasks 

 are almost always artificial and may be regarded by older 

 people as trivial and not worth serious effort, with the result 

 that age trends in performance might tend to be less favourable 

 than they ought. 



With regard to the first question, most investigators have 

 found difficulty in obtaining subjects in middle and old age. 

 It is fairly easy to obtain men in their twenties, but in the 

 thirties and over they become increasingly unwilling. Many 

 plead lack of time, or raise other difficulties, or agree to come 

 and then forget. These pleas are, of course, sometimes well 

 justified, but it is quite clear that in most cases they are 

 excuses and that the real reason for unwillingness is fear of 

 being tested and in particular of doing badly and appearing 

 foolish. They seem to know well the popular opinion that as 

 one advances through middle age one's ability falls, and do not 

 wish to have this demonstrated upon themselves. 



It has certainly been our experience that although many 

 older subjects are unwilling to be tested, once they consent 

 they approach their task with every intention of putting forth 

 their best efforts and are fully as well motivated as those 

 younger. Indeed, if there is any difference of motivation it 

 is on the side of the older subjects, and if their performance is 

 in any way adversely affected by motivational factors it is 

 not by under-motivation but by over-motivation leading to 

 anxiety with the consequent danger of disorganization. 



