Perkins Published On Human Aging
9 May 2008 Perkins Published On Human Aging
Professor of Sociology H. Wesley Perkins coauthored a study about Self-Efficacy and Participation in Physical and Social Activity among Older Adults in Spain and the United States, published in the latest issue of The Gerontologist, a bimonthly journal focused on human aging. The study, based on surveys conducted on a sample of older adults in both Spain and the United States, explores how in both cultural contexts the individuals sense of self-efficacy as a psychological characteristic is crucial to understanding engagement in social and physical activities that are beneficial to health. Perkins collaborated on the study with lead author and daughter Jessica Perkins, a Teaching Fellow in Sociology and Graduate Student in Public Health at Harvard University, and Associate Professor of Psychology Kristi Multhaup and Professor of Psychology Cole Barton, both from Davidson College. Perkins, a member of the faculty since 1978, holds a bachelors degree from Purdue as well as two masters and a doctorate from Yale. He is internationally known for his work in the social psychology of health promotion.