THE EFFECTIVENESS OF ERROR MANAGEMENT TRAINING WITH WORKING-AGED ADULTS
and requests for reprints should be addressed to Margaret E. Beier, Department of Psychology, MS-25, Rice University, 6100 Main St., Houston, TX 77005; [email protected].
Both authors contributed equally to the development of this manuscript.
This study was based on Madeline Campbell's doctoral dissertation, under Margaret E. Beier's supervision. Parts of the study were presented at the 22nd Annual Conference of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology in New York, NY, April 2007.
We are indebted to the students in the Beier Lab at Rice University for help with recruitment and data collection. We are grateful to David M. Lane, Michael J. Watkins, and Deborah J. Barrett for their valuable contributions.
Abstract
Low structure training that includes instructions about the benefits of errors typically enhances learning for college-student samples. Changes in abilities and skills that occur with age suggest that these findings may not necessarily generalize to working adults. Three training conditions, varying in structure and instructions, were examined in a sample of working-aged adults (N = 161, Mage= 39.7 years). Significant main effects of condition, cognitive ability, and age were found for training performance. An age × cognitive ability × error management instruction interaction indicated that error management instructions in high structure training were beneficial for older learners, especially when higher in ability. The importance of examining aptitude–treatment interactions in training research with working-aged adults is highlighted.
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