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Experimental Social Gerontology: A Social Psychological Perspective
Author(s) -
Schulz Richard,
Hanusa Barbara Hartman
Publication year - 1980
Publication title -
journal of social issues
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.618
H-Index - 122
eISSN - 1540-4560
pISSN - 0022-4537
DOI - 10.1111/j.1540-4560.1980.tb02020.x
Subject(s) - perspective (graphical) , psychology , phenomenology (philosophy) , competence (human resources) , social psychology , sociology , psychological theory , epistemology , philosophy , artificial intelligence , computer science
Social psychological theories and research methods have been a guiding influence in the study of aging for over three decades. However, in the past the emphasis has been more on the sociological than the psychological components of this approach. Sociologists, guided by theories and methods borrowed from sociology, have been the major contributors of new knowledge. More recently, this approach has been supplemented by another view emphasizing the psychological half of the equation. This approach is characterized by its use of experimental methods and its attempt to generate explanations based ultimately on an understanding of the phenomenology of the aged individual. This latter perspective is discussed here. In particular, the recent research examining the effects of control, perceived choice and enhanced competence on the well‐being of the institutionalized aged is reviewed and evaluated.