Erdman B. Palmore

Erdman Ballagh Palmore (born June 3, 1930) is an American gerontologist. He is Professor Emeritus of Medical Sociology at Duke University and has written several books, including Facts on Aging Quiz, and numerous articles on aging.

Biography Palmore was born June 3, 1930, in Tokuyama, Yamaguchi, Japan to missionary parents. An American citizen, he was raised in Virginia. Palmore served in the United States Army from 1954 to 1956 and is married with two children. He graduated from Duke University in Durham, North Carolina in 1952; received a Master of Arts from the University of Chicago in Illinois in 1954 and a Ph.D from Columbia University in New York City in 1959, all in Sociology. He taught at Finch College in New York City and Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut from 1960 to 1963.

The roots of Palmore's research on ageism began when he was a student at the University of Chicago in the 1950s and was conducting research on racism. Noting the similarity between stereotypes of African Americans and older people, he began research on ageist stereotyping. As a Professor, he developed the Facts on Aging Quiz in order to gain the attention of students on the first day of class. In 1990, he published a textbook summarizing the theories and research about ageism. His research and teaching interests include race relations, retirement, longevity, life satisfaction, health, and international gerontology. Currently he is a Professor Emeritus of Medical Sociology at the Duke University Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development. Palmore is the second most cited author in The Encyclopedia of Aging, reflecting his numerous publications in gerontology.

Selected publications Palmore E (1970). Normal Aging I. Durham NC: Duke University Press. Palmore E & Luikart C (1972) "Health and Social Factors Related to Life Satisfaction". Journal of Health and Social Behavior 13:68-80. Palmore E (1974). Normal Aging II. Durham NC: Duke University Press. Palmore E (1980). "International Handbook on Aging" Westprot CT: Greenwood Press. Palmore E (1982). "Preparation for Retirement" Osgood, N (ed.), "Life After Work" NY: Praeger Publications. Palmore E (1984). Handbook on the Aged in the U.S. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. Palmore E (1985). Normal Aging III. Durham NC: Duke University Press. Palmore E (1990). "Predictors of Outcome in Nursing Homes". Journal of Applied Gerontology, 9: 172-184.

Palmore E (2005). Three Decades of Research on Ageism. Generations, 29(3), 87-90. Palmore E (2009). Reducing Ageism. Journal of Aging, Humanities and the Arts, 3(2), 144-146. Palmore E (2011). Older Can Be Bolder. New York, NY: CreateSpace and Kindle.