It is important that the clinician who treats older patients be aware that depression is the psychiatric symptom often encountered in the elderly and that it is as distressing in this age group as it is in younger persons. It often is reversible with prompt and appropriate treatment. (Author)

The subject of aging and depression leaves many unanswered questions which this author raises. Little is known regarding the differentiation of depressive illness from a melancholic response to the stressful aging process, and equally little regarding the natural history of depressions with onset in the teens, 20s, or 30s. (Author)

Two experiments were conducted to determine the effect of aging on encoding and response selection stages of a choice reaction time task. Results suggested reducing stimulus discriminability may affect information processing prior to the encoding stage, but the encoding stage is the primary locus of the slowing which accompanied aging. (Author)

Studied the relationship between progressive hearing loss (presbycusic) hearing patterns and social involvement of the aged. Individuals (N=50) with presbycusic hearing patterns were asked specific questions about their social activities. Results indicated that social involvement was not related significantly to the amount of hearing loss in this…

Ambulatory geriatric patients (N=370) were rated on the Geriatric Rating Scale and results factor analyzed. The scale was found to be composed of three factors: Withdrawal/Apathy, Antisocial Disruptive Behavior, and Deficits in Activities of Daily Living. The results help explain some of the findings regarding sex differences in previous research.…

The social world of the aged SRO tenant is described and analyzed. Characteristic features include an impoverishment of social roles and relationships which result in a "world of strangers." Dominant norms of SRO life which preclude the establishment of intimacy are examined; these include prescriptive norms of privacy, freedom, and…

After arguing that treatment programs for the elderly need to be evaluated with better research designs, the authors illustrate how interrupted time series analysis can be used to evaluate programs for the elderly when random assignment to experimental and control groups is not possible. (Author)

Presents a bibliography of 405 doctoral dissertations dealing with the biological, behavioral, and social aspects of aging; health, health services, and education. (JAC)

Describes experimental gerontology being done in the U.S.S.R. in which the biology of aging, and expecially the biology of human aging, is studied in detail. (EJT)