This article is within the scope of WikiProject Physiology, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of Physiology on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.PhysiologyWikipedia:WikiProject PhysiologyTemplate:WikiProject PhysiologyPhysiology articles
Is there a reliable and valid method of measuring allostatic load? What is it? Is there adequate evidence for the construct validity of this notion?
This article is sort of pathetic until these questions are answered. 69.108.167.242 (talk) 19:43, 5 June 2013 (UTC)[reply]
It's me again. I just looked over the most prominent PubMed abstracts related to "allostatic load." They are pretty scanty. I don't see any suggestion of a standardized method for measuring allostatic load, nor any discussion of reliability or validity of such a measurement. I don't see any discussion of construct validity. As far as I can tell, allostatic load is a speculative notion, vaguely congruent with "stress," in search of an empirical foundation. 69.108.167.242 (talk) 19:49, 5 June 2013 (UTC)[reply]
Hello, 69.108.167.242. It is my understanding that "allostatic load" does not necessitate measures of empirical quantification, but rather is often proposed as an alternative to conceptions of neurological and physiological functions which are based on the notion that such processes are most effectively quantified through average or baseline measurements, instead favoring a dynamical approach. Perhaps the article would be well-suited to be phrased in a way which is more explicitly theoretical and sensitive to the context of its application in the sciences.
Perhaps you are correct in calling it "speculative," although this largely depends on the circumstances of its use; in any case, why do you feel this article is "sort of pathetic," and what steps can be taken to improve it? At the moment I am getting the impression that you object to the subject of the article in principle, rather than finding the article itself to be inaccurate or misrepresentative. Cheers, Memtgs (talk | contribs) @ 05:17, 6-06-2013 UTC 05:17, 6 June 2013 (UTC)[reply]
