ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the state of methodology in research on aging. It concentrates on the use of survey data within a cohort-comparative perspective in order to better understand social aspects of aging within the context of the life course as a whole. There is a strong research tradition within social gerontology per se, but it rarely articulates with the more recent theoretical literature on aging and the life course. The union of investigators with biological, psychological, and sociological perspectives with those of more applied interests has had both positive and negative implications for the field. The chapter demonstrates that a life-course approach is relevant for an understanding of a variety of policy-related issues. It describes that one way to go about applying the perspective is through the careful analysis of replicated social surveys. The chapter suggests that the process of data collection on the aging process needs to be rationalized on different level.
