Age and performance on a repetitive manual task

Abstract

Four groups of men, representing average ages of 20, 30, 40, and 50, took part in the work of assembling and disassembling 2 nuts and bolts. The procedure was arranged to simulate as closely as possible the conditions in industry. The work continued over a period of 4 hours and a financial incentive was used. There is a decrease in proficiency after 30 years. The only reliable difference was obtained between the 30-year and 50-year groups for the long test series (4 hours of assembly work). (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)