THE EFFECT OF AGE ON A SCALE OF SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY.

A shortened form of a scale of social responsibility constructed by Gough, McCloskey, and Meehl was administered to a sample of 500 Ss ranging in age from 20 to 70. Ss were divided into 10 five-year age intervals. Mean scores for these intervals show a statistically significant trend to increase until the middle fifties and thereafter show decline. The magnitude of the raw score differences, however, is within such small limits as to question the practical significance of these age changes. Modest positive correlations are also reported between the measure of social responsibility and measures of intelligence, rigidity-flexibility, and length of education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]