Judith A. Sugar, Ph.D.

Associate Professor School of Public Health Ph.D. in Lifespan Developmental Psychology York University, Toronto, Canada

Research Interests:

My research interests are in life-span health, aging, research methodology, and higher education issues. Much of my scholarship in life-span developmental psychology has been directed at two important questions: what is normal versus pathological aging, and how do we conceptualize, measure, and positively influence older adults' quality of life? In addition to the theoretical and empirical value of these questions for life-span developmental psychology, the answers to these questions have critical implications for the daily lives of older adults. Decisions about nursing home placements, diagnoses of dementia, and declarations of incompetence often hinge on judgements and measures of health and psychological functioning. My interests in methodology include research design, data analysis, measurement, and interpretation of research results. Higher education issues of interest include enhancing diversity in the academy, pedagogy, and mentoring and advising.

Selected representative publications:

Sugar, J. A., & Cohn, J. (in preparation). A multidimensional scaling model of quality of life in the elderly.

Sugar, J. A., & Marinelli, R. D. (1997). Healthful aging: A social perspective. Activities, Adaptation & Aging, 21(4), 1-12.

Sugar, J. A. (1996). Memory strategies. In Encyclopedia of gerontology. Age, aging, and the aged (Vol. 2, pp. 119-124). New York: Academic Press.

Sugar, J. A., & McDowd, J. M. (1992). Memory, learning, and attention. In J. E. Birren, R. B. Sloane, & G. D. Cohen (Eds.), Handbook of mental health and aging (2nd ed., pp. 307-337). New York: Academic Press.

Cohn, J., & Sugar, J. A. (1991). Determinants of quality of life in institutions: Perceptions of frail older residents, staff, and families. In J. E. Birren, J. E. Lubben, J. C. Rowe, & D. E. Deutchman (Eds.), The concept and measurement of quality of life in the frail elderly (pp. 28-49). New York: Academic Press.

Contact Info:

You can e-mail Dr. Sugar at jsugar@unr.edu