NIA Workshop on Opportunities for Advancing Behavioral and Social Research on Aging: An Introduction for Psychological Scientists
May 22nd 2008, Chicago, IL -- The workshop on Opportunities for Advancing Behavioral and Social Research on Aging: An Introduction for Psychological Scientists was held at the 2008 Association for Psychological Science (APS) Annual Convention. The meeting was jointly organized by the Center for Cognitive and Social Neuroscience at the University of Chicago, (John Cacioppo, Director, and 2007-08 President of APS) and the Division of Behavioral and Social Research at the National Institute on Aging. The workshop brought new and established psychological scientists up to date on emerging directions in behavioral and social science research on aging and provided strategic guidance on incorporating aging-relevant questions into their scientific research programs. The morning session, Workshop on Entering into Aging Research,featured presentations on grant writing for aging research, neuroimaging and the aging mind, and opportunities for secondary analysis of archived social and behavioral data on aging, featuring the Health and Retirement Study and MIDUS. The afternoon session, Emerging Perspectives in Psychological Research on Aging, featured a series of panel discussions and Q & A periods. Many of the presentation slides are available through the University of Chicago’s Center for Cognitive and Social Neuroscience webpage for personal education use only and therefore should not be distributed or reproduced. A review of the meeting can be found in the August 2008 APS Observer, Vol. 21, No. 7.
Financial support was provided by the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research and the National Institute on Aging.
NIA Workshop on Genetic Methods and the Life Course | Adobe PDF (186K)
February 11-12, 2008, Bethesda, MD-- The NIA held a workshop to determine how integration of lifespan development and genetics can clarify developmental mechanisms promoting selected domains of social and emotional competence in aging. Researchers representing the fields of economics, molecular biology, epigenetic science, and behavioral research presented heir work and engaged in discussions focused on stability and change, the interplay between gene and environment, and gene expression and epigenetic mechanisms.
NIA Workshop on Allostatic Load | MS Word (184K)
November 29-30, 2007, Washington, DC -- An exploratory workshop focusing on theoretical and measurement issues relating to the concept of allostatic load, and more specifically on the question of assessing multiple and cumulative aspects of physiological aging and dysregulation. The goals of the workshop were to identify research needs and strategies for advancing the science in this area. The attached document includes background statements from workshop participants, used to frame the discussion.
NIA Workshop on Refining Economic Phenotypes | Adobe PDF (190KB)
September 10-11, 2007, Bethesda, MD-- A exploratory workshop was held to consider what could be gained by adding genetic analyses to attempts to understand economic behavior. Economists, psychologists and neuroscientists discussed economic phenotypes, how these phenotypes could be measured, the level of analysis needed to assess individual differences within them, and how phenotypes might be influenced by aging. The workshop, chaired by David Laibson, David Reiss and Erica Spotts, fostered the exchange of ideas through formal presentations, invited commentary and general discussion.
Data Priorities for Behavioral and Social Research on Aging | Adobe PDF (92K)
May 20-21, 2007, Bethesda, MD -- An Ad Hoc Committee on Data Priorities, chaired by Lisa Berkman of Harvard University and James P. Smith of RAND, was asked to help NIA/BSR to assess likely needs for the data infrastructure for behavioral and social research on aging and recommend priorities for investment in data collection, archiving, and dissemination.
We welcome your reactions to the Committee’s report or additional ideas. Please send them directly to John Haaga of NIA at HaagaJ@mail.nih.gov, or if you prefer not to be identified, to Rose Li and Associates, who served as the committee’s secretariat: rose@roseliassociates.com
Harmonization of Aging Surveys and Cross-National Studies of Aging | Adobe PDF (88K)
February 24-27, 2007, Chiang Mai, Thailand.-- To benefit from the possibility of exploiting cross-national differences to understand the effects of various policies, data collection efforts in various countries must be harmonized -- which means that conceptually comparable information be collected, and procedures (e.g., sampling and quality control) be synchronized to the extent possible. To this end, NIA convened a workshop to bring together data experts and the Principal Investigators of large national or cross-national datasets that are (or plan to be) harmonized with the U.S. Health and Retirement Study. The group explored current issues in the measurement of key concepts of health, such as self-reporting of health status, and participated in a discussion of innovative methods for data collection and validity studies, including the use of vignettes and biomarkers, which have the potential to enhance comparability. There was a consensus on the value of survey harmonization, and the group emphasized the importance of regional collaboration in particular as a way to examine the impacts on health and retirement of policy, culture, and institutions. The workshop also identified a need for clearly articulated research priorities in aging and was intended to stimulate their development within various funding agencies, at both the national and international levels.
Social Neuroscience of Aging | Adobe PDF (554K)
February 7-8, 2007, Washington DC. -- This 2-day exploratory workshop (workshop agenda -- PDF, 37K) surveyed topics in social neuroscience of relevance to aging and addressed research and resource needs for advancing this field. Invited participants included leading researchers in social and personality psychology, genetics, neuroscience and neurobiology, biodemography, psychoneuroimmunology, and psychiatry who share an interest in social behaviors, and who have the breadth of knowledge regarding developmental and aging issues within their respective disciplines. Through targeted presentations and extended dialogue, participants addressed successful approaches, pitfalls, gaps in knowledge, next steps, and opportunities and needs for aging research in social neuroscience and how NIA and the scientific community could support development of this research area. Discussions focused both on research that takes a life-course perspective (i.e., the influence of social behaviors and environments in early life on late-life health) and on research addressing the role of social behaviors and environments of late life on the individual problems of older people. (Background materials -- PDF, 499K)
Value of Health Workshop
February 3, 2007, Santa Monica, CA -- The topic of this conference was assessing the value of health. NIA intends to incorporate economic valuations of disease into its decisions about allocating research funding. The purpose of the conference was to strengthen research in the field by developing a future research agenda. Conference results would also be useful to the World Health Organization and relevant to national health accounts research. The conference was attended by 21 experts representing NIA, leading academic institutions, the private sector, and the national media. See Conference agenda.
Aging and AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa | Adobe PDF (39K)
January 11-12, 2007, Boulder, CO. -- As discussed in the National Research Council report Aging in Sub-Saharan Africa (2006), the impact of HIV/AIDS on adult mortality rates in Sub-Saharan Africa has reshaped the population structure and age distribution in most countries of this region, with important consequences for the elderly. A workshop in January 2007 considered research needs relevant to understanding the impact of HIV/AIDS on elders in Sub-Saharan Africa, and provided recommendations to NIA on a research agenda in this area.
Data Sharing Workshop for Behavioral and Social Studies That Collect Genetic Data | Adobe PDF (314K)
August 2-3, 2006, Bethesda, MD. -- This workshop explored issues surrounding data sharing plans for NIA-sponsored behavioral and social research studies that collect human specimens (DNA and/or biologic data). Workshop participants considered the potential for deductive disclosure and risks to confidentiality and privacy resulting from the merging of biologic and genetic data with complex, deeply described phenotypes in social and behavioral research studies. The workshop presentations and discussions were intended to inform the development of NIA/BSR data sharing guidelines in this area.
Workshop on Identifying New Interventions To Extend Disability Decline in Elderly Populations | Adobe PDF (313K)
September 14-15, 2006, Washington, D.C. -- This workshop was convened by the National Academies of Science, Committee on Population, and was chaired by Robert Wallace of the University of Iowa. The goal of the workshop was to consider specific, low-cost interventions drawing on the lessons of demography, public health, economics, community medicine, and other fields. The interdisciplinary approach is reflected in the invited presentations.
Chronic Disease and Disability from the 19th to the 21st Centuries: An Interview with Drs. Robert W. Fogel and Dora L. Costa
September 12, 2006, Bethesda, Maryland -- Dr. Robert W. Fogel of the University of Chicago, the Nobel Laureate in Economics whose work has revolutionized thinking about the history of health in the U.S., will appear with colleague Dr. Dora L. Costa of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to discuss findings from their NIA Program Project grant on the aging process of Union Army veterans. This ambitious project links vast amounts of information for a sample of Union Army veterans to allow researchers to study their aging process and compare it to that of later cohorts. Drs. Fogel and Costa will present their surprising findings from this study, which reveal a picture of humans today that is vastly different from 100 years ago. They will examine what their research suggests for current and future aging populations – cohorts that today are longer-lived, healthier, more affluent, and more urban than their predecessors – and what these trends imply for health, long-term care, and social security systems. Facilitating this lively discussion will be Drs. Angus Deaton and Burton Singer of Princeton University.
Dr. Fogel’s presentation | Adobe PDF (225K)
Dr. Costa’s presentation | Adobe PDF (1.8M)
Videocast of September 12th presentation
Decision Making and Aging Work Group | Adobe PDF (216K)
August 16-17, 2006, Bethesda, MD - Since 2004, the National Institute on Aging (NIA) Behavioral and Social Research Program has undertaken a research agenda to explore these factors, including a series of meetings, some held in collaboration with the National Academy of Sciences, to assess the state of the science in judgment and decision-making research and to generate ideas for future research. These meetings have brought together psychologists and economists and have led to the recent release of a request for applications focused on neuroeconomics and aging. On August 16–17, 2006, the NIA Behavioral and Social Research Program held a work group meeting on decision making and aging. This work group, chaired by Dr. Jeff Elias, included researchers from similar fields but different approaches and focused more on the cognitive aspects of decision making and aging.
Commission on Population Review of "Knowledge Networks" | Adobe PDF (102K)
July 12-13, 2006, open meeting held in Washington DC - The US National Research Council's Committee on Population convened a panel of leading social and behaioral researchers with expertise in population aging and adult health to review the initial analytical and strategic documents of the Commission's nine "knowledge networks." The panel was specifically asked to identify additional recent studies on adult health at older ages that might bear on the Commission's deliberations and identify potential areas of interventions aimed at moderating the effects of the social determinants of health among older people.
Neuroeconomics of Aging Workshop: Summary and Presentations | Adobe PDF (146K)
March 31-April 1, 2006, Palo Alto, CA - The National Institute on Aging convened an exploratory workshop to share ideas about neuroeconomics and aging around a set of defined workshop goals. Presentations from experts in aging research in areas of social, cognitive, and personality psychology; cognitive and affective neuroscience; decision-making; and health and retirement economics framed the discusion of how the neuroeconomics perspective can be applied most fruitfully to issues of relevance to aging. This workshop built on themes developed in two NIA teleconferences on Neuroeconomics of Aging held in August 2005. Click for teleconference participants' prepared statements (PDF, 131K) of research opportunities in neuroeconomics of aging, and for summaries of the August 12, 2005 (PDF, 34K), and August 26, 2005 (PDF, 30K) teleconferences.
NIA Funded Grants on Neuroeconomics of Aging (MS Word 67K)
Second Expert Meeting on the Future of the National Long-Term Care Survey: Summary, Agenda, Participants, and Commissioned Papers | Adobe PDF (70K)
February 14, 2006, Washington, DC – The NIA asked the National Academy of Sciences, Committee on Population, to hold two expert meetings to discuss the National Long-Term Care Survey (NLTCS) and to consider future options for the survey. The first meeting was held on October 7, 2005 (click here (PDF, 98K) for meeting summary). A follow-up meeting was held on Tuesday, February 14, 2006, which addressed in more detail policy and research uses of a continued NLTCS, and alternative options for scientific aims and survey designs. In addition to the workshop summary, NIA has made available the papers commissioned by the National Academy of Sciences which were discussed at the February 14 meeting:
National Health Accounts Group Meeting: Summary, Agenda, and Participants | Adobe PDF (47K)
December 9, 2005, Cambridge, MA - The goal of the health accounts project is to produce a new set of National Health Accounts which will explicitly measure health in addition to medical spending. To relate health outcomes to costs, the accounts will decompose both health and medical spending by particular diseases. Such accounts will allow researchers to ask such questions as: (1) How has the population's health changed over time? (2) To the extent health has improved, what accounts for this change? (3) What is the productivity of medical spending? (4) What changes in the medical system would increase the value of the system as a whole?
Workshop on Decision Making by Older Adults: Agenda and Participants | Adobe PDF (10K)
November 29, 2005, Washington, DC - The Center for the Study of Behavior and Development, in the Division of Behavioral and Social Science, National Academies of Science, in conjunction with BSR, conducted this meeting. Topics discussed included the neural basis of decision making, the design of health decision aids, the role of affect and emotion in decision making, the effects of age and social context on decision making, and aging and decision making competence. The meeting was exploratory, to help develop directions for future NIA research in this area.
Expert Meeting on the Future of the National Long-Term Care Survey: Summary, Agenda, and Participants | Adobe PDF (90K)
October 7, 2005, Washington, DC -- The NIA asked the National Academy of Sciences, Committee on Population, to hold an expert meeting to discuss the National Long Term Care Survey (NLTCS) and to consider future options for the survey. There was general support for continuing to address long-term care and disability questions from both academic and policy quarters. However, the discussion raised a number of issues for further consideration, including the advisability of collecting biomarkers and associated implementation strategies, increasing the periodicity, collecting more detailed data on the living arrangements of older adults with chronic disability, collecting information to understand the environmental components of disability separate from the functional components, and adding to the screener questions to collect more information about individuals without chronic disability (frequently called screen-outs) in order to better assess incidence. The meeting also raised the visibility of the contributions of the NLTCS in the policy arena. A follow-up expert meeting was held on February 14, 2006 (click here for meeting summary).
Population Aging and Macroeconomics: Summary, Agenda and Participants | Adobe PDF (52K)
June 6-7, 2005, Cambridge, MA -- Sponsored by NIA. The purpose of this meeting was to help NIA identify the most promising research opportunities related to macroeconomics and aging. Participants reviewed population aging in a global context, the size of the 60+ and 80+ populations, the health of the elderly, and variations across countries. It is likely that the links between population aging and macroeconomics are mediated by the institutional context (retirement policy and pension and health care systems) and the economic context (degree of integration into regional and global economies). Issues for theoretical and empirical research include: (1) Demographic forecasting; (2) Savings, investment, and finance; (3) Labor, human capital, and migration; (4) Changes in sectoral structure; (5) Public and private financing of pensions and healthcare; and (6) Economic growth.
Intergenerational Family Resource Allocation Meeting Summary | Adobe PDF (69K)
March 10-11, 2005, Bethesda, Maryland -- Sponsored by NIA and NICHD. The purpose of the meeting was to bring together grantees of the Intergenerational Family Resource Allocation RFA to present projects to each other, discuss methodological and data collection issues, and create an interdisciplinary network of researchers doing work on intergenerational resource allocation. Other goals were to bring together researchers doing work related to children with those doing work in the aging field, so that the groups could be aware of each other; to familiarize economists with relevant work in child development and aging; and to ensure that the two major funding agencies in intergenerational resource allocation are "on the same page" in terms of topics of interest.
Action Research in Psychology and Economics | Adobe PDF (68K)
March 4-5, 2005, Cambridge, Massachusetts -- Sponsored by NI A, the meeting focused on inter-disciplinary work aimed at developing new, innovative approaches to policy questions. Based on the organizers' belief that a natural alliance exists between social psychologists and behavioral economists, their intent was to have top-notch scientists in these fields collaborate on developing interventions that could eventually be useful for a variety of health applications of interest to BSR/NIA.
Introduction | Adobe PDF (9K)
Agenda | Adobe PDF (19K)
Summary of presentations | Adobe PDF (88K)
Participant list | Adobe PDF (32K)
Health and Wealth in an Aging America: A Briefing for Journalists
September 2004 -- NIA gathered eminent researchers on September 28 to discuss with journalists, “How can we prepare to meet the challenges of an aging population?” The answers, at least according to this NIA-supported group of leading social, behavioral, and economic scientists, will come from creative thinking and new approaches to some of today’s most difficult questions, such as the rise in health expenditures and major gaps in personal savings for retirement.
World Health Organization Study on Global Aging and Adult Health (SAGE): Agenda and Report | Adobe PDF (118K)
August 26-27, 2004, Bethesda MD; October 13-14, 2003, Cambridge MA --The World Health Organization’s Multi-Country Studies team developed the Study on Global Ageing and Adult Health (SAGE) to collect a range of valid, reliable, and comparable information on the health and well-being of older persons in low and middle income countries that could be used by national health information systems to fill critical information gaps. Data modules would include self-reported health assessments linked to anchoring vignettes and traditional measures of functioning combined with measured performance testing in various health domains. The first technical consultation sought expert advice on the content of the survey instrument, the design and implementation of the longitudinal follow-up, and validation methods to improve comparability. The second advisory group meeting recommended final content and study design.
Determinants of Mortality: Summary and Agenda | Adobe PDF (176K)
July 15-16, 2004, Princeton, NJ -- The purpose of this conference was to examine which factors appear to explain mortality reductions over time as well as cross-sectionally, both within and between countries. Another purpose was to attempt to resolve differences in the existing theories, including considering whether there might exist a unified framework to characterize mortality changes and differentials. The meeting was largely informal and there was no presentation of papers. Directions for future work included extending work beyond industrialized countries, understanding differences in behavior, understanding the long-term impacts of nutrition and other inputs early in life and across generations, and reconciling trends and cross-section results.
Decision Making and Aging: Workshop Summary and Agenda | Adobe PDF (419K)
July 14-15, 2004, Bethesda MD -- There has been a noticeable trend in the growing complexity of decisions being faced in old age, e.g., pensions and benefit issues, portfolio investment decisions, pharmaceuticals, and health insurance options. BSR convened a small working group to share ideas in the area of decision making and aging. The presentations highlighted the importance of affect and motivation on judgments, probability perception, and decision making. Age differences in affective/experiential and deliberative processes have important theoretical implications for both theory and application. Some of the underlying themes of the discussion were: the need for greater cross-disciplinary understanding; the need to identify common problems of interest; the need for better models; and the need for better cognitive data.
Workshop on the Analysis of Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Data by Grantees | Adobe PDF (103K)
June 25, 2004, Baltimore MD --The purpose of this workshop was for behavioral and social science researchers funded by the NIA, who are using data originating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), to exchange information in order to facilitate coordination, collaboration, and communication between researchers and agency staff, and to identify common issues. The presentations by grantees exemplify the many uses of Medicare data, including the study of performance and productivity of hospitals, long-term care and hospice facilities, and medical care and treatments; variations in end-of-life care; cohort and time trends in Medicare expenditures; effects of physician specialization and experience on costs and outcomes of hospital care; and health and technology trends and their consequences for Medicare.
Social and Behavioral Sciences in the Field of Aging - Planning Meeting | Adobe PDF (186K)
June 11, 2004, New York, NY -- The objective of this meeting hosted by the Social Sciences Research Council was to explore the “successes” (advances, breakthroughs, etc.) and “failures” (weaknesses, shortcomings, etc.) of the social and behavioral sciences in the field of aging in the last 30 years. The focus was on discussions pertaining to where, when, and why social and behavioral science advances have occurred in the area of aging. One of the summary points from these discussions was that scientific “successes” should not be thought of just in terms of theoretical breakthroughs in scientific paradigms but also in terms of material advances to scientific practices. For example, newer forms of longitudinal data collection and analysis have expanded not only the descriptive but also the predictive capacity of social sciences in various areas, including aging.
Action Research in Psychology: Summary of Presentations, Agenda, and Participants | Adobe PDF (66K)
March 4-5, 2004, Cambridge, MA --The presentations were summarized under such headings as affective forecasting, stereotype, persuasion, discrimination, and well-being. Topics covered include the consumer credit market, HIV, neighborhood effects, and technology adoption, among others.
Symposium on Cognitive Training for Older Adults: Agenda and Abstracts | Adobe PDF (82K)
February 29-March 1, 2004, Bethesda MD --This symposium considered the best methods for training. Is training best done within the context in which it will be used (e.g., perceptual speed, memory, exercise, technology use)? Is multiple system training the best method, and how do we determine what systems are affected? What are the physiological correlates of training and transfer of training? What is the impact of social engagement on cognition? How should we define successful training? How long do training effects have to last to be successful? Who are the best candidates for cognitive training and why?
NBER Disability Group Meeting: Agenda and Progress Report | Adobe PDF (48K)
February 12-15, 2004, Charleston, SC --The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) has an ongoing project on the foundations of disability decline, what might be done to extend and accelerate future improvements in functional ability, and how the benefits of disability decline can be evaluated in economic terms. A group of economists, demographers, epidemiologists, and physicians are examining the causes and characteristics of past disability trends to identify the core foundations of disability decline, and to think about improving functional ability in the future. Five research strategies have been identified: 1) Characterizing disability decline; 2) Pathways to disability; 3) Health conditions that lead to disability; and 4) Economic and labor market implications of disability decline.
National Longitudinal Mortality Survey (NLMS) & Longitudinal Employment and Household Dynamics Survey (LEHD) Users Workshop Programs and Presenters | Adobe PDF (29K)
January 22, 2004, Cambridge, MA -- National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) hosted a 1-day workshop on the NLMS and the LEHD, data sets partially sponsored by BSR but underutilized by grantees. The objective was to introduce these data sets to researchers from NIA’s 11 Demography Centers so they would think about using the data sets. The workshop provided participants the opportunity to learn what the new data sources provide, what issues they can be used to address, and how they can be obtained. More information about the data sets can be found at:
LEHD: http://lehd.dsd.census.gov/led/index.html
NLMS: http://www.census.gov/nlms/
Physical Performance Workshop: Background, Agenda, and Participants | Adobe PDF(185K)
December 12, 2003, Bethesda, MD -- BSR organized a 1-day meeting on effective uses of physical performance measures in population-based studies (as opposed to the self-reported measures of disability which have historically been used). This meeting reviewed existing performance protocols and discussed several important issues relating to use of performance measures in population-based studies. BSR developed a consensus document that outlined the various physical performance protocols available for use in various studies of aging. The goal was to develop a reference manual useful to researchers interested in using such performance protocols in their studies.
Small Interventions with Large Effects: The Psychological Foundations of Effective Policies: Conference Report | Adobe PDF (302K)
November 14, 2003, Cambridge, MA --This one-day conference, sponsored by the Center for Basic Research in the Social Sciences (CBRSS) at Harvard University and NIA, convened a multidisciplinary group of social scientists to explore the potential for small, inexpensive and noncoercive psychological and sociological interventions to influence human behavior in a range of policy settings. Changing human behavior, even for someone's own good, can be a huge undertaking. This conference featured research from the fields of economics, social psychology, and public health. The purpose was to shed light on the particular mechanisms and conditions under which simple psychologically-styled methods of changing behavior can provide easier and more effective ways of aligning good intentions with actions.
Defining and Measuring Environments for Genetic Studies of Aging Workshop | Adobe PDF (12K)
February 26–27, 2003, Bethesda, MD --This workshop explored issues related to incorporating environmental factors from the behavioral and social sciences into genetically informative studies of aging. Development of this area is critical to understanding central issues surrounding gene expression, including gene-environment interactions and covariation and gene expression (i.e., how it is affected by social contexts and behaviors). A special issue of the Journal of Gerontology: Psychological and Social Sciences (Vol. 60B, March 2005) was based on the presentations.
Quantitative Reasoning in Adult Development and Aging Meeting | Adobe PDF(39K)
July 15–16, 2002, Bethesda, MD -- Workshop participants provided expertise across a wide range of fields: numerical cognition, quantitative and document literacy, mathematics, judgment and decisionmaking, neuropsychology, and behavioral economics. The specific topics covered at the workshop included:
- Age-related changes in numerical processing strategies;
- Proportional and probabilistic reasoning processes;
- Estimation skills, investment, and risk-taking behaviors; and
- Financial abilities in patients with Alzheimer’s disease.
Cognition in Context : Agenda and Participants | Adobe PDF(24K)
April 8-9, 2002, Rockville, MD --This meeting was sponsored by NIA's BSR and Neuroscience and Neuropsychology programs. The meeting addressed such issues as: (1) identification of gaps in knowledge about the impact of various contexts on cognition; (2) the feasibility of research on the confluence of different kinds of contexts on cognition; (3) the importance of natural versus artificial contexts; and (4) how findings from these types of studies can be conceptualized more generically. This meeting was held as a result of one of the recommended research initiatives in the recent National Research Council report, The Aging Mind.
Genetics, Behavior, and Aging Meeting: Summary and Agenda | Adobe PDF (24K)
March 29, 2002, Bethesda, MD --This meeting explored directions for developing behavioral genetics and aging research. It included experts on human studies of behavioral genetics and aging and experts on animal and model organisms. A special issue of Journal of Behavior Genetics (Vol. 33, March 2003) was based on the presentations.
Disability Decline: What We Know and What We'd Like To Know: Summary and Participants | Adobe PDF (55K)
November 30, 2001, Bethesda, MD --This workshop engaged leading scholars in an exploratory discussion of the characteristics, causes, and consequences of disability decline in the US, specifically investigating what is known about disability trends and what should be learned from future research. The workshop identified agreed-on research findings related to disability trends; identified areas of ambiguity or disagreement; and developed foci for future investigations.
Old and New Measures of Human Well-being: Report, Agenda, and Participants | Adobe PDF (47K)
January 27-28, 2000, Bethesda, MD --Three related meetings were held in 1999-2000 (Burden of Illness, Psychology and Economics, and Old and New Measures of Wellbeing) concerned with issues of interest to psychology, economics and medicine, and to various emerging hybrid disciplines such as behavioral medicine and behavioral economics.
Recommendations from Burden of Illness (BOI): Develop models for specific diseases and conditions. Test alternative approaches for assessing health states and for assessing the values assigned to different health states. How sensitive are values of the summary measure to changes in such subcomponents as mortality, incidence, or specific dimensions of functioning?
Recommendations from Psychology and Economics: Compare older and younger adults’ attitudes toward risk, delay of gratification, and reciprocal altruism. Measure lifecycle variation in consumption tastes and link this variation to normative theories of saving. Evaluate policies using the tools of behavioral economics (i.e., theories of bounded rationality, self-control, peer group effects, and learning).
