Research at the Center

Research Resources at Penn State

The Gerontology Center, in addition to the projects and research conducted in its own right, has access to the extensive resources provided by Penn State as a whole.  Our professors, researchers, associates and collaborators work with Penn State laboratories and institutes such as:

Current Gerontology Center Research Projects

ACTIVE Continuation

ACTIVE (Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent and Vital Elderly) is a large randomized-controlled trial of the effectiveness of three cognitive interventions (memory, reasoning, speed of processing) in maintaining cognitive health and functional independence in older adults and is the first large-scale, randomized trial to show that this training improves cognitive function in well-functioning older adults, lasting up to 5 years from the beginning of the intervention

Cross-Domain Interface of Cognitive Functioning, Personality, Well-Being and Health

 
Lifespan psychological research focusing on structural relations among intraindividual changes within and between domains of functioning.

Research Highlighted in this Section:

     Differential Aging:  Berlin Aging Study
     Differential Aging:  Seattle Longitudinal Study

Families, Networks and Communities

International Collaborations

The PSU Gerontology Center not only conducts research in its own right, but works with institutes and researchers from around the world.  Visit the International Collaborations page to learn of the variety and depth of these projects.

Mortality and Terminal Decline

Demographers and lifespan pscyhological and gerontological researchers share an interest in understanding what occurs at the end of life--the years before death.  One focus has been on the process of terminal decline, a significant drop in functioning that occurs at some point shortly before death.  Several researchers in the Center are exploring different dimensions of this important issue.

National Study of Daily Experiences

Dave Almeida is the PI of this project--one of the in-depth studies included in the MacAuthur Foundation National Survey of Midlife in the United States (MIDUS). NSDE  examines the day-to-day lives and stressful experiences of a subsample of MIDUS respondents. 

Population Aging and Public Policy