The imbalance between social science and medical-biological research Basic to the problem of using research in aging to meet the current needs of the aged and aging is the necessity of evaluating the current status and scope of research in the field. The subcommittee had many indications before the questionnaire was sent out that there is a serious deficiency in the amounts being spent for all research in aging, but specially inadequate are the sums devoted to the social sciences. Interest in the social science aspects of aging stems from the growing conviction, suggested in the opening paragraphs of this chapter, that the most significant consequences of aging do not lie in the extension of life itself but rather in how older people live, what they do with their lives, what problems and adjustments confront society by reason of their increasing numbers, and what contributions older people can make to their communities and to the general social welfare. The answers to these questions lie largely in the fields of the social sciences, or in what is rapidly coming to be known as the field of social gerontology. Answers are dependent in part, of course, on the physiological and health or disease characteristics of the organism itself (hence, the need for interdisciplinary studies), but the primary focus must be on such questions as what kinds of activities and responsibilities can be assigned to older people and what will they accept; what are the factors in maintenance of healthy mental outlooks; what are the effects of retirement from work, of widowhood, different levels of income, and of various social attitudes and policies on behavior and personal adjustment; what housing, community facilities, and protective services do older people need, how much will they cost, and how should they be paid for. In order to arrive at a current evaluation of the situation as between the two general areas, the questionnaire first inquired: To what extent, if any, is there an imbalance in amounts being spent on medical-biological research on aging as over against social science research? The respondents were generally split on this issue with the social scientists asserting they do not receive anywhere near the amount of funds available for medical-biological studies and the physical scientists indicating a severe shortage of funds in their areas. In general each discipline emphasized the urgent, unfulfilled research needs in its own sphere. On balance, the evidence does indicate that a greater investment must be made in social gerontology, relative to the medical-biological fields. The issue is not one of reducing the medical-biological funds, but rather, how to increase both interest in and the resources of the social sciences. Here are the examples of typical comments from social scientists: A major increase in support given social science research is called for, not at the expense of support for medicalbiological research, but in addition to it. It appears that this increase is not likely to come from the States or private foundations, and will of necessity be given by the Federal Government.-Dr. William H. Harlan, Department of Sociology, Ohio University (Athens). I believe there is no question whatsoever that there is a large imbalance in the amounts being spent on medicobiological research on aging as over against social science research although the field of psychology does not fall in the category of undersupported fields. The problem is that there is no regularly dedicated source of funds for basic or applied research in the social sciences, and the studies carried on through grants from the National Institutes of Health or other branches of the Public Health Service and the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare must come under the province of health or mental health. Although the latter is quite broadly interpreted, there is much basic research needed and being proposed which can be conceived as a "health or mental health" only through a large degree of pure word stretching. A glance at any of the recent reports of the National Institutes of Health shows the large preponderance of nonsocial science research. However, the above remarks are not meant to imply that the medicobiological fields are necessarily being supported as well as they could be-I am only noting the relative lack of social science support.-Dr. Harold L. Orbach, assistant project director, interuniversity training, Institute in Social Gerontology, University of Michigan (Ann Arbor). The above quotation also emphasizes the need for basic research in the social sciences. In discussing the deeper implications of providing a "subject matter balance," Clark Tibbitts of the Department of HEW Special Staff on Aging has written that there is not an undue emphasis ** ** given to research in the biological and psychological aspects of the field, since the basic functional, health, mental performance, and per- Because there is no central Federal agency concerned with all aspects of research on aging, the subcommittee has been unable to obtain a complete analysis of total Federal expenditures classified according to the types of projects supported. However, following careful study of the data available, it believes that the statistics reported by the National Institutes of Health can be taken as fairly representative of the total situation. For the year ended January 31, 1960, the Center for Research on Aging reported a total NIH expenditure of grant funds of $12.4 million for research primarily ($5.5 million) or secondarily ($6.9 million) related to aging. The distribution of these funds by type of research and training is shown in the following table. Two subjectsphysiological aspects of aging and identifiable disease processesaccount for 449 of the 569 extramural projects under support. Moreover, they accounted for 46 of the 54 intramural projects then in force. Gerontology research at the National Institutes of Health, January 1960 Source: Center for Aging Research, National Institutes of Health, "Activities of the National Institutes of Health in the Field of Gerontology," January 1960. Public Health Service Publication No. 761. Research and training on the psychological and social science aspects of aging found support for only 55 extramural projects, less than 10 percent of the total. An examination of the list of 13 projects on the social aspects of aging reveals that 8 of them were concerned primarily with physical rehabilitation and the organization of health services. The subcommittee found that among all of the training and research projects being supported in aging, only 37 percent-just over 1 in 3-are primarily in aging. In the other 63 percent, aging receives an undetermined amount of attention. With NIH providing the major leadership today in gerontological research, that research logically and effectively is directed toward medical-biological rather than the social aspects of aging. A principal gap in research in aging is, then, the need to provide the means whereby the social sciences receive an emphasis which has been lacking. Additionally, the subcommittee recommends not only expanded social science research in aging but an emphasis on basic research, the development of new knowledge. MEETING TOMORROW'S RESEARCH NEEDS The subcommittee's findings, based on its own studies and documented by the opinions of scores of specialists from all branches of the field, lead to the simple conclusion that there is compelling need for (1) knowledge in depth which will provide a basic understanding of the processes of both individual and social aspects of aging and (2) statistical and evaluative data upon which to base sound program development involving the expenditure of billions of dollars. While the need is simple, the method of achievement is relatively complex. Involved are the recruitment and training of personnel for research and teaching; creation of facilities and conditions in which the right kinds of research can be done; and determining the proper share which the Federal Government should contribute to the costs of research. Finally, it involves a determination on the nature and location within the Government of whatever instrumentality may be best adapted to providing leadership in research and training and to administering the funds appropriated therefor. RESEARCH PERSONNEL Basic to the problem of recruiting large numbers of high caliber personnel to work in gerontology is the necessity of identifying the field of gerontology as an important one for study, research, and teaching. It was the conclusion of both seminar groups that it lies within the power of the Federal Government to give stature and validity to the field of gerontology through the development of its own research programs and through financial support of research and training throughout the country. Attention must be given to the immediate recruitment of four categories of personnel if we are to make the progress which the subcommittee believes to be essential. These are: Teachers, scientists, research specialists and technicians, and graduate students. Teachers Large-scale development of trained personnel in gerontological research requires that a sizable number of faculty members in colleges, universities, and professional schools devote increasing proportions of their time to teaching and research in this new field. Interest has appeared. There are some who are teaching a few courses and some who are doing bits of research. There are very few, however, who have thus far been willing to identify themselves wholly with the field and to devote their careers to gerontology. After listening to the participants in the seminars and after analyzing the material it has collected from a wide variety of sources, the subcommittee is convinced that there are many college and university teachers today who are eager to get into the field and who will do so once the conditions are favorable. The essential conditions, in the judgment of the subcommittee, are: (a) Funds for the support of teaching positions; (b) Increase in the facilities and materials for research; (c) Encouragement for students; (d) Assurance of support of training and research on a continuing basis. It lies well within the province and power of the Federal Government to hasten the development of these conditions and to give the assurances required. Scientists Equally acute is the need for highly trained professional personnel from widely diverse fields who will devote their full time to research on aging in a large number of centers, institutions, and laboratories over the country. Here the recruitment problems are similar to those with respect to teachers: need for research centers where teams of scientists can work together; research material; and guarantees of long-term support. The subcommittee is in total agreement with those who point out that qualified researchers are not going to be attracted to projects supported on a year-to-year basis. Two special problems were made known to the subcommittee, as necessary to attract leading scientists to the field. Much laboratory work in gerontology is done with animals. One of the recommenda tions that appeared frequently in the responses to the subcommittee's questionnaire and in the seminar proceedings was that scientists must have necessary research material for effective work, such as: Animal colonies of many species must be established to make available material of known ages. Lack of the latter is, and has been, a major problem for experimenters.16 These are some of the conditions and factors that must be recognized in giving status to the field of gerontology and in attracting highly qualified personnel to it. Research specialists and technicians Among the people already working on gerontological studies, a common problem is the difficulty of securing trained assistants and technicians. This type of personnel must usually be secured from areas on the periphery of gerontology. This problem was noted by several of the respondents to the subcommittee questionnaire and by the seminar participants. Dr. Henry S. Simms, of Columbia University's Department of Pathology, noted, for example: *** The financial encouragement is needed for researchers in this field both on the investigator level and on the technical level. I have personally had difficulty in hiring good technicians in competition with industry and with cancer research. I have also had difficulty in finding researchers on the faculty level because of budgetary limitations. Provision for training, research facilities, and assurance of continuing support of research are compelling considerations in this category of personnel as in the two preceding categories. Graduate students Fully as important as recruiting established faculty members and scientists is that of providing for a continuing flow of newly trained personnel to the field. The key to this matter are the undergraduate and graduate students at the point of making their career choices for training and professional work. At the present time, very few students have opportunity to discover the field of gerontology and to recognize it as a valid field for teaching and research. Unless there are courses in gerontology within various departments (and only a few schools have these) or unless there are research projects underway which have funds available for hiring graduate students as assistants, the student is not even going to become aware of the field much less do his thesis in it and look forward to making gerontology his field of specialization. Here are some typical comments on the subject of attracting graduate students to gerontology: ***Encouragement should be given also to enlisting the interest of graduate students, medical students, and residents in training in the field. This will increase the cost of certain projects, since a considerable amount of supervision is needed for such students, but they can learn in no better way than by doing.-Dr. Alexander Simon, medi 1 Dr. Albert I. Lansing, Department of Anatomy, University of Pittsburgh. |