Gerontological Research in Psychology Published in the Journal of Gerontology 1963-1974: Perspectives and Progress

Psychological research on human subjects published in the Journal of Gerontology from 1963 through 1974 was summarized along a variety of dimensions, including subject selection procedures, sample characteristics, data analysis techniques, research design, author characteristics, and area of psychological research. Comparison of 1963-1968 with 1969-1974 showed a dramatic increase in the number of studies analyzing data for sex differences and a lessened concern for the health status of subjects. Studies of intellectual/cognitive functioning clearly dominated, while those measuring a physiological variable increased the most over the 12-year span. Discussion focused on variations among studies on definitions of age, concerns with sample description with respect to health, and sex differences.