The effect of instructions on age differences in practical problem solving.

In previous research middle-aged adults have typically been found to perform better on practical, everyday problems than either younger or older adults. However, it has been suggested that young adults may not expend as much effort as middle-aged adults and therefore may not perform as well as they are capable of performing. In order to test this hypothesis, the performance of young, middle-aged, and elderly adults was compared on 10 practical, everyday problems.