DOING RESEARCH ON THE AGED M.C. Sengstock – SOC 5760 Special Problems of Studying Older Adults Special Techniques for Studying Older Adults (Review from Chapter 1 of Textbook)

WHY OLDER ADULTS ARE DIFFICULT TO STUDY Any Subgroup of Population Is Particularly Difficult to Study Inappropriateness of Normal Research Techniques: Representative Sample of Population – Every 1,000 th Phone Number or Name in List – Gives Picture of TOTAL Population – Inadequate Sample of Sub-Groups: Elderly – African-Americans – Teenagers – Etc.

TRADITIONAL SAMPLING & THE ELDERLY Traditional Sample of 1,000 in Population Would Yield Approximately 130 Elderly What Generalizations Can Be Made? What Is Needed to Make Generalizations? Need Special Sampling Techniques

MAIN PROBLEM STUDYING ELDERLY Interpreting “Change”: – Which Changes Result from Growing Older? – Which Are Characteristic of a Specific Category (“Cohort”) of Elderly? – EX 1: Elderly Distrust Banks – All Elderly? Or Those from Depression Period? – EX 2: Don’t Understand “Modern” Ways – All Elderly? Or Those Who Never Learned Them?

STUDYING “CHANGE” Most Questions We Ask About Aging: Focus Is on CHANGE: How Do People Change As They Grow Older? Interpreting Changes in a Specific Study: – Characteristic of ALL Individuals As They Age? – Or Only Characteristic of THIS COHORT of Elderly Who Are Aging RIGHT NOW? – EX: Depression Elderly DISTRUST Banks … – BUT 21 st Century 70 Yr Olds TRUST Banks!

INTERPRETING DATA ON THE AGED How Do You Know if the Changes You See Are Characteristic of ALL Aged Persons – or Only This Particular Cohort of Aged? How Is Being 80 Different From Being 50? Irrespective of Whether You Are 80 in – 1970 – 1990 – 2010? Will 80 Yr Olds Be Like This in 2040?

SUMMARY OF RESEARCH PROBLEMS Difficulty of Studying a Category Which Represents a Small Proportion of Population Difficulty of Studying CHANGE in a SINGLE POINT IN TIME Difficulty of Distinguishing Between Effects: COHORT vs. AGE

2 MODELS OF AGING COMPETENCE MODEL: Individual’s Ability to Deal With Problems of Life – Why Do Some People Manage Better than Others? ENVIRONMENT PRESS Model: Impact of Environment on an Individual – How Do the Experiences One Has Had Impact on Their Ability to Manage Stress? – Impact of Social & Economic Stresses on Coping EX: Minority Status; Low Income; Historical Events

REQUIREMENTS FOR AGING RESEARCH Simply Looking at an Older Population vs. a Younger Population Is Insufficient Need to Be Able to Separate Out The Different Effects: AGING PROCESS – COHORT IMPACTS

BALTIMORE LONGITUDINAL STUDIES OF AGING Landmark Studies Conducted in 1950s & 1960s Contributed Significantly to Study of Aging Mainly Through Suggesting New Methodologies

3 RESEARCH DESIGNS Longitudinal Research Cross-Sectional Research Sequential Research

LONGITUDINAL DESIGNS: METHOD & ASSETS Study Same People – “PANEL” – Over Time Eliminates (Controls for) Cohort Effects Effective in Comparing Age & Cohort Effects Permits Inference About Changes Related to Aging

LONGITUDINAL DESIGNS: PROBLEMS Serious Methodological Difficulties: – Difficult to Retain Entire Sample – People Get Sick & Quit or Die – Get Tired of Being Interviewed Numerous Times Most Difficult to Do Very Expensive

CROSS-SECTIONAL DESIGNS: METHOD & ASSETS Studies a Number of Subjects of Different Ages on the Same Characteristics Allows Researchers to Compare Subjects of Different Ages How Are “Older” People Different from “Younger” Ones?

CROSS-SECTIONAL DESIGNS: PROBLEMS Sorting Out Cohort Effects Remains Q Remains: Are Some Subjects “Unusual” Members of their Cohorts? How to Determine Whether Observed Changes Are Due to Age Itself – Or Cohort

SEQUENTIAL DESIGNS: METHOD & ASSETS Modification of the Longitudinal Design Does NOT Interview a PANEL Interviews DIFFERENT Members of the Same Cohort at Different Points in Time Allows Researchers to Analyze Relative Influence of AGE vs. COHORT Avoids Problems of Retaining Same Subjects Over Extended Period of Time

SEQUENTIAL DESIGNS: PROBLEMS Difficult & Time-Consuming to Conduct Though Not As Difficult As Longitudinal

SUMMARY OF RESEARCH TYPES LONGITUDINAL: Same Subjects – Interviewed Several Times – Allows Age/Cohort Comparisons CROSS-SECTIONAL: Different Subjects – Interviewed Once – Little Ability to Analyze Age-Cohort Distinctions SEQUENTIAL: Different Subjects – Allows Controls for Age/Cohort Differences – Less Expensive Than Longitudinal

ALL STUDIES ON AGED Problems With Lack of Diversity of Subjects Difficulty Getting “Lists” for Samples Lists Often Biased (e.g, AARP Lists) – Exclude Minorities; Retiree Lists Omit Non- Workers Old People Resist Participating in Studies – Tuskegee Impact – General Distrust of Science – Other Interests (Bingo!)

SUMMARY: RESEARCH ON AGING: PROBLEMS & ASSETS Research on Aging Requires Different Methodologies Makes It More Expensive Makes It Difficult to Recruit Subjects Makes It Difficult to Sort Out Differences Between AGE & COHORT Differences