Grandparental investment: A relic of the past or a resource for the future?

Current Directions in Psychological Science

Volumn 20, Issue 2, 2011, Pages 93-98

  Coall, David A ^a   Hertwig, Ralph ^b  

^a UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA   (Australia)

^b UNIVERSITY OF BASEL   (Switzerland)

Author keywords

child development; demographic transition; grandmother hypothesis; grandparental investment; intergenerational transfers

Indexed keywords

EID: 79960240329     PISSN: 09637214     EISSN: 14678721     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1177/0963721411403269     Document Type: Review

References (28)

1. Arrondel L.,Masson A.Handbook of the economics of giving, altruism and reciprocity. Volume 2: Applications. Kolm S.C.Ythier J.M., ed. Amsterdam, The Netherlands: North-Holland/Elsevier; 2006:971-1053.
2. Barro R.J.Are government bonds net wealth?.Journal of Political Economy. 1974;82:1095-1117.
3. Becker G.S.A theory of social interactions.Journal of Political Economy. 1974;82:1063-1093.
4. Bengtson V.L.Beyond the nuclear family: The increasing importance of multigenerational bonds.Journal of Marriage and Family. 2001;63:1-16.
5. Bengtson V.L.,Roberts R.E.L.Intergenerational solidarity in aging families: An example of formal theory construction.Journal of Marriage and Family. 1991;53:856-870.
6. Borgerhoff Mulder M.The demographic transition: Are we any closer to an evolutionary explanation?.Trends in Ecology and Evolution. 1998;13:266-270.
7. Botcheva L.B.,Feldman S.S.Grandparents as family stabilizers during economic hardship in Bulgaria.International Journal of Psychology. 2004;39:157-168.
8. Coall D.A.,Hertwig R.Grandparental investment: Past, present and future.Behavioral and Brain Sciences. 2010;33:1-59.
9. Coombs C.H.,Avrunin G.S.Single-peaked functions and the theory of preference.Psychological Review. 1977;84:216-30.
10. Daly M.,Wilson M.Discriminative parental solicitude: A biological perspective.Journal of Marriage and Family. 1980;42:277-288.
11. Euler H.A.,Weitzel B.Discriminative grandparental solicitude as reproductive strategy.Human Nature. 1996;7:39-59.
12. Fox M.,Sear R.,Beise J.,Ragsdale G.,Voland E.,Knapp L.A.Grandma plays favourites: X-chromosome relatedness and sex-specific childhood mortality.Proceedings of the Royal Society, Series B, Biological Sciences. 2010;277:567-573.
13. Friedman D.,Hechter M.,Kreager D.A theory of the value of grandchildren.Rationality and Society. 2008;20:31-63.
14. Hank K.,Buber I.Grandparents caring for their grandchildren: Findings from the 2004 Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe.Journal of Family Issues. 2009;30:53-73.
15. Hawkes K.,O'Connell J.F.,Blurton Jones N.G.,Alvarez H.,Charnov E.L.Grandmothering, menopause and the evolution of human life histories.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA. 1998;95:1336-1339.
16. Hrdy S.B.Mothers and others: The evolutionary origins of mutual understanding. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; 2009:.
17. Hughes M.E.,Waite L.J.,LaPierre T.A.,Luo Y.All in the family: The impact of caring for grandchildren on grandparents' health.Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences. 2007;62B:S108-S119.
18. Laferrère A.,Wolff F.C.Handbook of the economics of giving, altruism and reciprocity. Volume 2: Applications. Kolm S.C.Ythier J.M., ed. Amsterdam, The Netherlands: North-Holland/Elsevier; 2006:889-969.
19. Lahdenperä M.,Lummaa V.,Helle S.,Tremblay M.,Russell A.F.Fitness benefits of prolonged post-reproductive lifespan in women.Nature. 2004;428:178-181.
20. Murphy M.J.,Grundy E.Mothers with living children and children with living mothers: The role of fertility and mortality in the period 1911-2050.Population Trends. 2003;112:36-44.
21. Sear R.,Coall D.A.How much does family matter? Cooperative breeding and the demographic transition.Population and Development Review. 2011;37(Suppl.):81-112.
22. Sear R.,Mace R.Who keeps children alive? A review of the effects of kin on child survival.Evolution and Human Behavior. 2008;29:1-18.
23. Szinovacz M.E.Handbook on grandparenthood. Szinovacz M.E., ed. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press; 1998a:257-288.
24. Szinovacz M.E.Grandparents today: A demographic profile.The Gerontologist. 1998b;38:37-52.
25. Tinsley B.J.,Parke R.D.Grandparents as interactive and social support agents for families with young infants.International Journal of Aging and Human Development. 1987;25:259-277.
26. Trivers R.L.Sexual selection and the descent of man 1871-1971. Campbell B., ed. Chicago, IL: Aldine; 1972:136-179.
27. U.S. Census Bureau. (2009, July13). Grandparents Day 2009: September 13. Facts for Features, CB09-FF.16. Retrieved fromhttp://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/facts_for_features_special_editions/cb09-ff16.html.
28. Williams G.C.Pleiotropy, natural selection, and the evolution of senescence.Evolution. 1957;11:398-411.