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DOING RESEARCH ON THE AGED M.C. Sengstock – SOC 5760

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

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DOING RESEARCH ON THE AGED M.C. Sengstock – SOC 5760

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

  2. 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 1,000th Phone Number or Name in List • Gives Picture of TOTAL Population • Inadequate Sample of Sub-Groups: • Elderly – African-Americans – Teenagers – Etc.

  3. 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

  4. 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?

  5. 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 21st Century 70 Yr Olds TRUST Banks!

  6. 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?

  7. 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

  8. 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

  9. 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

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

  11. 3 RESEARCH DESIGNS • Longitudinal Research • Cross-Sectional Research • Sequential Research

  12. 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

  13. 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

  14. 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?

  15. 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

  16. 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

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

  18. 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

  19. 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!)

  20. 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

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