Chapter 2 - Methodological and Analytical Issues in the Psychology of Aging

Abstract

This chapter provides a review of some central methodological and analytical issues in current aging research. It offers a selection of issues that play a fundamental role in the study of the psychology of aging. Some of these issues concern longitudinal designs and methodology, while others concern the description of various forms of incomplete data as well as techniques for dealing with such incompleteness. Furthermore, it reviews a number of analytical procedures that have the potential to capture the complex changes associated with aging. Some of these techniques include the use of sample weights to adjust for any known sample biases. Other approaches rely on sample information to adjust for missing data with the goal of increasing the number of cases to be included in the analysis. It also reviews some important methodological and analytical issues in current aging research. Based on this understanding, it explores some issues that are essential to the quest of furthering the knowledge about aging processes and that can generate new research questions. Finally, it describes recent challenges in this area, highlights some potential solutions, and raises new questions to stimulate further research.