Abstract
In response to Dean and Morgan (1988), we review our position on approaches to functional or biological aging. Researchers have attempted to assess an hypothesized underlying 'rate of aging' by combining information from the functioning of several different physical or psychological systems. None of these attempts has yet demonstrated success; because many different processes contribute to what we call 'aging', the concept of a single biological age is itself probably fundamentally flawed. We advocate more sophisticated interdisciplinary and longitudinal research as the best hope for understanding and ameliorating the effects of aging processes.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 211-214 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics |
Volume | 7 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Sep 1988 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Biological aging
- Functional age
- Longitudinal research
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Health(social science)
- Aging
- Gerontology
- Geriatrics and Gerontology