The Effects of Ageing on Creative Performance Trajectories

Previous research has demonstrated that job performance initially increases, plateaus, and then eventually declines. A major factor that may be relevant for explaining these performance changes is the ageing process. This study examined the within‐person effect of ageing on changes in a specific type of job performance (creative performance), and whether the age of career onset is a moderator. These questions were investigated using two measures of creative performance data spanning several decades from 300 authors and analysed using hierarchical linear modelling (HLM) techniques and hierarchical generalised linear modelling techniques (HGLM). The results revealed an inverted U‐shaped relationship between time and creative performance, and an inverted U‐shaped relationship between ageing and creative performance when controlling for work experience. The age at which an individual starts their career was a significant moderator of the shape of performance trajectories. Findings are discussed in relation to how this study contributes to the literature on performance trajectories and the effects of ageing on performance.