The Berlin Aging Studies (BASE)
Dynamic Modeling of Longitudinal Change and Mortality
During the 20th century, average life expectancy nearly doubled. More and more individuals in current cohorts of older individuals experience additional years of life between the ages of 70 and 100+. What do these added years mean in terms of levels of functional capacity and quality of life? What are the constraints on mental and physical capacities in the last years of life? Given the heterogeneity of aging trajectories and outcomes, longitudinal studies of individual development are crucial in providing answers to these questions. Since 1989, members of the Center for Lifespan Psychology have been investigating age- and death-related changes in psychological functioning from age 70 to 100+ in the context of the Berlin Aging Study I (BASE-I). Recently, a new focus has been added by establishing BASE-II.
Link to BASE website
Berlin Aging Study I (BASE-I)
Berlin Aging Study II (BASE-II)
Team
Ulman Lindenberger
Julia Delius
Shu-Chen Li
Tian Liu
Ana Sofia Morais (postdoctoral research fellows)
Martin Becker (data base management)
Amy Michéle (assistant)
Book on BASE-I
Extended New Edition
Lindenberger, U., Smith, J., Mayer, K. U., & Baltes, P. B. (Eds.). (2010). Die Berliner Altersstudie (3rd ed.). Berlin: Akademie Verlag.
Table of Contents (in German)
Link to BASE website
Key References
Kotter-Grühn, D., Grühn, D., & Smith, J. (2010). Predicting one’s own death: The relationship between subjective and objective nearness to death in very old age. European Journal of Ageing, 7, 293–300. doi: 10.1007/s10433-010-0165-1
Kotter-Grühn, D., & Smith, J. (2011). When time is running out: Changes in positive future perception and their relationships to changes in well-being in old age. Psychology and Aging, 26, 381–387. doi: 10.1037/a0022223
Ram, N., Gerstorf, D., Lindenberger, U., & Smith, J. (2011). Developmental change and intraindividual variability: Relating cognitive aging to cognitive plasticity, cardiovascular lability, and emotional diversity. Psychology and Aging, 26, 363–371. doi: 10.1037/a0021500
Röcke, C., Hoppmann, C., & Klumb, P. L. (2011). Correspondence between retrospective and momentary ratings of positive and negative affect in old age: Findings from a one-year measurement burst design. Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences, 66B, 411–415. doi: 10.1093/geronb/gbr024