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What Do We Mean by Accumulation? Advancing Conceptual Precision for a Core Idea in Gerontology

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  • Kenneth F Ferraro
  • Patricia M Morton

Abstract

In recent decades, the concept of accumulation has gained prominence in research on aging, health, and social stratification. Accumulation is now studied in multiple disciplines, revealing that cumulative processes are crucial to understanding patterns of differentiation over the life course. Although this research has demonstrated the empirical value of studying accumulation, the concept has taken on different and sometimes inconsistent meanings. To address these inconsistencies, we propose an interdisciplinary conceptual framework of accumulation that focuses on objects, timing, thresholds, de-accumulation, and the levels and consequences of accumulation. Providing a coherent framework of accumulation will aid conceptual precision, guide future research, and inform public policies related to aging and the life course.

Suggested Citation

  • Kenneth F Ferraro & Patricia M Morton, 2018. "What Do We Mean by Accumulation? Advancing Conceptual Precision for a Core Idea in Gerontology," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 73(2), pages 269-278.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:geronb:v:73:y:2018:i:2:p:269-278.
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/geronb/gbv094
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Bengtsson, Tommy & Broström, Göran, 2009. "Do conditions in early life affect old-age mortality directly and indirectly? Evidence from 19th-century rural Sweden," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 68(9), pages 1583-1590, May.
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    1. Sarah Mustillo & Miao Li & Kenneth F. Ferraro, 2021. "Evaluating the Cumulative Impact of Childhood Misfortune: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach," Sociological Methods & Research, , vol. 50(3), pages 1073-1109, August.
    2. Jo M. Hale & Daniel C. Schneider & Neil K. Mehta & Mikko Myrskylä, 2022. "Understanding cognitive impairment in the U.S. through the lenses of intersectionality and (un)conditional cumulative (dis)advantage," MPIDR Working Papers WP-2022-029, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany.

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