Career Age and Research-Professional Activities of Academic Scientists

Abstract

Six alternative theoretical models are employed to determine the relationship between age and several performance and activity variables for a national sample of doctorate faculty members in seven selected physical science, engineering, biological science, and social science fields. The relationships are shown to be generally weak and not systematically generalizable across fields. Results are interpreted with respect to possible methodological artifacts, selective attrition, changing market conditions for academic personnel, generational and vintage effects, and maturational or aging effects. From a performance standpoint, the findings suggest that the instituting of early retirement plans may be more feasible now than in the future, but that faculty policies related to dealing with the period of “steady-state staffing” in higher education should continue to recognize individual differences and hence not be “standard” or universal in their application.