Age and Political Behavior in Collective Decision-making

Abstract

Preliminary findings are reported from a study of municipal councils, employing methods of direct observation under field conditions, that explored the effects of dominance status, age and relative age in groups involved in group decision-making processes. Findings show that old age was associated with greater participation in the group by actors and greater responsiveness by the group toward actors; while with regard to relative age, younger members received higher responsiveness from groups and participated at grand mean levels. Overall, being old was associated with status and involvement in small-group political interactions, but the ascriptive prerogatives of older age did not close out the opportunities for achievement by the relatively young.