Laboratory Functional Age

The results of several laboratory and pulmonary function tests from a group of healthy male veterans were entered into a regression equation. Forced expiratory volume, erythrocyte sedimentation rate and hemoglobin had Beta weights which, when combined with a constant, gave a laboratory functional age. This functional age was compared with the Ss' chronological age. It was found that some Ss were functionally older than their chronological age and several older Ss were considerably younger functionally than the majority whose values fell within ±2 SD of the mean of the group. Outlier Ss (functionally older or younger) from the psychology, sociology and anthropometry disciplines of the same study were compared with the laboratory functional age. Nearly all coincident outliers were older or younger in all disciplines, suggesting that perhaps aging occurs as a continuum in all phases rather than at very different rates in the various body systems.