Page 244 - Discrimination at Work The Psychological and Organizational Bases

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issue. Miller, Kaspin, and Schuster (1990) found that plaintiff age is the
best predictor of a court's judgment in ADEA cases. In O'Connor v. Con­
solidated Coin Caterers Corp., 56 F. 3d 542 (4th Cir. 1995), the court ruled that
the issue is not whether the favored applicant falls within the statutory
threshold of age 40, but rather whether the favored person is substantially
younger than the rejected older applicant. In Hartley v. Wisconsin Bell, Inc.,
124 F. 3d 887 (7th Cir. 1997), the court held that a 10-year age difference
between the plaintiff and the replacement is presumptively substantial.
These cases suggest that age differences play a critical role in court judg­
ments.

EXPERIENCES IN ORGANIZATIONS

Job Performance

Meta-analytic studies concerning the effects of employee age on job perfor­
mance ratings have shown weak support (Avolio, Waldman, & McDaniel,
1990; McEvoy & Cascio, 1989; Waldman & Avolio, 1986). Waldman and
Avolio (1993) cited a number of problems with the research linking age and
job performance: (a) few studies have included workers older than 60 years
of age; (b) much of the research is cross-sectional; (c) longitudinal research
suggests a nonlinear relationship with age; and (d) age-performance rela­
tionships are influenced by occupation. Salthouse and Maurer (1996) also
point to some additional serious limitations, including (a) there have been
relatively few studies; (b) the small sample sizes of most studies may have
led to weak power to detect performance differences that may exist; and
(c) most studies have had restricted age ranges, with under-sampling of
older workers. Thus, conclusions about the relationship between age and
performance ratings should be viewed with caution.
Despite the lack of consistent empirical evidence, there continues to be
an assumption among many managers that performance declines with
age (Prenda & Stahl, 2001). Although there are age-related changes in
certain abilities, including sensory functioning, strength and endurance,
response speed, and cognitive processes, the decline in these abilities is
almost always gradual, and most older adults remain healthy and func­
tionally able until very late in life (Czaja, 1995). In fact, Avolio et al/s (1990)
meta-analysis showed that job experience was a better predictor than age
of performance such that experience leads to better performance ratings.
Landy, Shankster-Cawley, & Moran (1995) argued that "there is little cred­
ible evidence to suggest any substantial reduction in abilities (cognitive or
physical) as a result of age, per se" (p. 276). This suggests the influence of