The Status of the Empirical Support for the Hypothesis of Increased Variability in Aging Populations

Abstract

The hypothesis that the variability between adults increases with the age of the population under consideration has acquired the status of gerontological doctrine. Two reviews were conducted to ascertain the status of the empirical support for this hypothesis: one on the literature used to document this hypothesis and the other on more recently published research. Neither literature provides any convincing confirmation of this hypothesis. Several implications of this finding for professionals in gerontology are cited.