Professional Documents
Culture Documents
President's Message
20
DIVISION
Roger A. Dixon
As a field, the psy-
chology of adult develop-
ment and aging is growing in
size, expanding in complex-
ity and range, and racking up
advances and accomplish-
ments at startling rates. As
p s y. u m u . s e / p e r s o n a l /
Betula.html), and (d) The
Victoria Longitudinal Study
(www.uvic.ca/psyc/VLS).
Check out the links to other
research projects and initia-
tives. Moreover, the list of
web sites representing ag-
ing research projects is
Inside: the number of psychologists
interested in aging issues is
growing. For example, Di-
vision 20 colleague, Warner
increasing, so is the number Roger A. Dixon, Division 20 Schaie, has indicated that
President the prodigious Seattle Lon-
of scholars from a widening
President's range of neighboring disci- tioning, health and medica- gitudinal Study plans to pro-
Message plines. Fittingly, because tions, personality and af- duce a web site in the near
aging is understood as inher- fect, economic and life his- future.
1 ently complex and multiply- tory information, social and Margret M. Baltes
Teaching Tips: determined, an increasing familial contexts, aware- Award: Division 20 has
number of research projects ness and self regulation, completed arrangements
Grad. Classes are designed to chart a broad blood-based indicators and with the Margret M. Baltes
3 range of aging-related pro- genetic markers, and cog- Foundation to offer a new
cesses. nition and memory. Such award for young investiga-
M. Powell Large-Scale Studies: studies may also feature tors in the psychology of
Lawton Large-scale studies of aging large and diverse samples, aging. The annual prize is
4 have been around for de- longitudinal designs, col- $1000. The deadline for ap-
cadesthe venerable Balti- laborators from a variety of plication for the 2001
Grandparents & more and Duke studies leap disciplines, and even mul- Margret Baltes Award will be
Grandchildren to mind. Recent years have tiple research sites. June 1. Further information
witnessed the emergence of Web Sites: Interest- will be distributed soon on
5 more such studies. What ingly, many large-scale the Division 20 web site and
Candidates: purposes do they serve? In studies now maintain web list serve, and will be avail-
a recent Psychology and sites that provide informa- able directly from me
President Elect Aging article, Division 20 col- tion about the mission, (radixon@uvic.ca).
6 leagues, Paul Baltes and projects, and products of Apportionment: In
Jacqui Smith, wrote that the research. Here are the annual apportionment
Candidates: large-scale studies uniquely some of the informative election, the division came
Members-at- embody the principle that sites originating in several tantalizingly close to obtain-
psychological aging is inher- continents: (a) The Austra- ing enough votes to capture
Large ently a process involving lian Longitudinal Study of a second seat on APA Coun-
7-9 many dimensions: physical, Ageing (www.cas.flinders. cil. Thanks to everyone who
psychological, social, and edu.au/sanra/research/ cast some (if not all!) of their
Award institutional. It is not un- proj0020.html), (b) The Ber- 10 votes to Division 20.
Nominations usual to see these studies lin Aging Study (www. Please help us again next
including measures of physi- base-berlin.mpg.de), (c) fall, as we try once more to
9 ological and sensory func- The Betula Project (www. surpass the threshold.
Remembering
Powell Adult Development and Aging News is published three times a
year by Division 20, Adult Development and Aging, of the
12 American Psychological Association.
2
There are also differences tologist, I was convinced I
Teaching Tips from page 3 in the rates of change had the most unique and
across the lifespan. charming baby ever born.
Adult Development may gather a false sense of Changes tend to be dra- Much to my chagrin, when
and Aging News is the contrasts and similari- matic in the first two years my son started daycare, I
edited by Harvey L. ties in development across of life. Students can readily noticed that other babies his
Sterns and co-edited different stages of the note physical changes from age engaged in the exact
by Martin D. Murphy lifespan based on these dis- the newborn who cannot same adorable behaviors!)
both at the parities in research atten- coordinate binocular vision These differences in the
Department of tion. For example, social re- to the two-year-old dashing shape of development may
Psychology and lationships have develop- across the playground. Like- leave students who study
mental implications through- wise, change at the end of children unsatisfied with re-
Institute for Life-Span
out life, not just in infancy life can be rapid when dis- search on adult develop-
Development and (attachment), adolescence ease hits and debilitates. ment and aging. These is-
Gerontology, The (peer relationships and Students may garner a false sues do however, provide
University of Akron. sexuality), and old age sense that the big contrasts fodder for course discus-
where they have received involve infancy vs. child- sion.
Deadlines for the most research attention. hood or adolescence vs. late
submissions are: Instructors can hammer life. More subtle, psychologi- In summary, if we wish to
home these lessons, but the cal changes of young and integrate aging into the
November 1 state of the literature does middle-adulthood are lost as mainstream of developmen-
February 15 not provide easy integration a result. It is important for tal psychology, we must train
for most topics. instructors to highlight how future generations of schol-
June 1
we conceive of change and ars in material across the
Further, the phenomena un- how less obvious patterns lifespan. The challenges of
Please direct mail der discussion vary in ways may be indicative of designing courses that ac-
queries to Adult that make lifespan integra- changes at different stages complish this task are
Development and tion challenging. We cannot of life. multifold and include dis-
Aging News, measure the same behav- crepancies in the state of
Department of ior to assess the same con- Further the shape of devel- research on different age
Psychology, The struct across the lifespan. opment varies at different groups and in developmen-
University of Akron, Is early temperament truly points in the lifespan. Behav- tal phenomena themselves.
Akron, OH 44325- a precursor to later person- ior in infancy tends to un- With careful attention to
ality? Are the reasoning fold in a regular, sequential these issues, instructors
4301.
tasks in school childrens pattern. In adulthood, devel- can engage graduate stu-
tests equivalent to everyday opment is less proscribed dents in lively discussion (if
Please submit problems older adults solve? and unfolds at different rates not ready answers) pertain-
materials via e-mail The course can be strength- in different individuals. (As ing to how development un-
or on disk to: ened by introducing such an aside, I recently became folds across the lifespan.
questions. a mother and, as a geron-
Harvey L. Sterns
Tel: (330) 972-7243
FAX: (330) 972-5174 Note from the Editor and Co-Editor
Internet:
hsterns@uakron.edu We thank everyone who contributed to this issue of the Newsletter. We encourage
division members to send us announcements of general interest for the Newsletter. If
or you have an idea for a feature article, please contact one of us.
Martin D. Murphy Address changes need to be made through the APA office at (800) 374-2721 (e-mail
Tel: (330) 972-8374 membership@apa.org). Your Newsletter editors must use the addresses that APA
provides.
FAX: (330) 972-5174
Internet: The deadline for the Summer issue is June 1, 2001. Please send stuff.
mmurphy@uakron.edu
Grandparents, particularly grandmothers, often accept Positive effects of custodial grandparenting have been
surrogate parent roles when there has been a family crisis noted particularly among African American families, where
prompted by such factors as divorce, drug abuse, alco- grandmothers are seen as buffers against the detrimental
holism, teenage pregnancy, parental abuse, and either effects of an insensitive mother, and grandfathers can
separation from or abandonment of the children by their serve as role models for boys who do not often see their
natural parents (Burton, 1992; Minkler, Roe, & Price, 1992; fathers (Wilson, 1986). In addition, younger children and
Pruchno, 1999; Shore & Hayslip, 1994). Middle aged and adolescents are more likely to achieve in school, to get
older persons who become surrogate parents usually do off welfare, demonstrate more autonomy in decision mak-
so because there is no one else to help, and feel a special ing, and engage in fewer deviant activities when residing
sense of commitment to the grandchildren they are caring with grandmothers (Wilson, Tolson, Hinton, & Kiernan,
for. Recent research (see Baird, John, & Hayslip, 2000; 1990).
Hayslip, Shore, Henderson, & Lambert, 1998; Hirshorn,
1998) suggests that grandparents derive many positive While many children raised by grandparents exhibit be-
benefits (e.g., satisfaction in being able to care for a vul- havioral and emotional symptoms and are treated in men-
nerable child, being able to make up for past parental mis- tal health settings, data on this issue is virtually nonexist-
takes) from their surrogate parent roles. Importantly how- ent. It is possible that grandparents may react to a childs
ever, only a minority receive any sort of reliable family emotional, behavioral, or neurological disturbance simi-
support in carrying out their parental role responsibilities
(Burton, 1992; Minkler & Roe, 1993). It is this context that Grandparents continues on page 14
the resumption of the parental role has the potential to
Thomas M. Hess is a Professor of Psychology and Coor- My educational background includes an A.B. from Bard
dinator of the graduate program in Developmental Psy- College (1965) with a double major in biology and psychol-
chology at North Carolina State University. He received ogy, an M.A. in Experimental Psychology from the State
his B.S. in Psychology from The Pennsylvania State Uni- University of New York at Buffalo (1968) and a Ph.D. in
versity and his M.A. and Ph.D. in Developmental Psy- Life-Span Developmental Psychology (1971) from West
chology from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. Virginia University. Additional training in Gerontology was
He received additional training in aging as a Postdoctoral received at the University of Southern California and The
Fellow in the Center for the Study of Aging and Human Pennsylvania State University.
Development at Duke University Medical Center.
My current appointments at The University of Akron in-
Dr. Hess is a Fellow in the American Psychological Asso- clude Professor of Psychology and Chair of the M.A/Ph.D.
ciation (Division 20), American Psychological Society, and specialization in Industrial Gerontological Psychology and
Gerontological Society of America. He is also a Member faculty member in the M.A/Ph.D. program in Applied Cog-
of the Psychonomic Society. Division 20 activities include: nitive Aging. In addition to serving as Director of the Insti-
Executive Committee member (1990-1992; 1995-); Divi- tute for Life-Span Development and Gerontology, my other
sion liaison to the APAs Centennial Celebration commit- assignments include Research Professor of Gerontology
tee; Convention program committee (1991-1992); Co-Chair, and Co-Director of Western Reserve Geriatric Education
Student Awards Committee (1995-1998); Chair for Divi- Center at the Northeastern Ohio Universities College of
sion 20s 50th Anniversary Celebration (1996); Medicine. I am a licensed Psychologist in Ohio and hold
Member-at-large (1996-2000); Chair, Membership Commit- fellowship in the American Psychological Association (Di-
tee (1998-2000); and Program Chair for the 2001 Conven- vision 20), American Psychological Society, Gerontological
tion. Society of America (BSS), Association for Gerontology in
High Education and the Ohio Academy of Science.
Other professional service includes membership on sev-
eral editorial boards (Psychology and Aging [1991-1993, For close to thirty years, I have been privileged to serve
2000-present], Aging, Neuropsychology, and Cognition Division 20 in many capacities including two terms as a
[1993-present], and Journal of Gerontology: Psychologi- member-at-large (1983-1987, 1988-1991), Nominating Com-
cal Sciences [1996-present]) and on the NIA-S Grant Re- mittee (1973-1974), Chair, Education Committee (1977-
view Committee (1997-present). Dr. Hesss primary re- 1978), Member (1975-1977, 1986-1987), Task Force on
search focus in on aging-related changes in cognition, Training in Aging (1977-1978), Program Committee (1977-
with an emphasis on social cognitive processes and so- 1978, 1986-1987), Chair, Continuing Education (1980-1981),
cial context influences on cognitive functioning. He is also Chair, Fellowship Committee (1985-1986), and Editor of
interested in issues relating to aging and work. He has Adult Development and Aging News (1997-present).
received support for his research from NIA since 1983.
He is the editor/co-editor of three books and author/coau- Awards received include the 1994 Clark Tibbits Award from
thor of over 50 journal articles and book chapters. the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education, the
1991 Outstanding Researcher in Ohio Award from the Ohio
Statement Research Council on Aging, the 1996 Arnold L. Heller Award
from the Menorah Park Center for Aging, and the 1996
Our past presidents have done a wonderful job of broad- Distinguished Service in Education, Research and Com-
ening our membership base, building alliances with other munication Award, from the Association of Ohio Philan-
organizations, and promoting the study of aging as an thropic Homes and Housing for the Aging.
important and necessary component in all fields of psy-
chology. We need to build upon this foundation by con- Additionally, I served as President of the Association for
tinuing our efforts to increase the visibility of aging within Gerontology in Higher Education, Sigma Phi Omega-the
APA. With respect to such efforts, two specific areas are National Academic Honor and Professional Society in
Candidates: Members-at-Large
ciplinary initiatives. My second goal as a Member-at-Large
Leslie D. Frazier would be to facilitate support of our special interest groups,
especially those emphasizing multicultural and cross-gen-
Biosketch erational issues and those that enhance applied gerontol-
ogy. This is especially important for our commitment to
I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psy- broaden awareness of special issues of aging in the do-
chology at Florida International University, soon to be pro- mains of education, research, and practice. It is impor-
moted to Associate. In this capacity I serve on the Basic tant to continue to position our division as a major resource
and Applied Life Span Developmental Graduate Program for the APA Direcorates and I will be active in facilitating
Committee and the Mental Health Counseling Program that goal. Finally, I have enjoyed working on the educa-
Committee. My research interests focus on the intersec- tion and awards committees and will continue to serve
tions among sense of self, personality, and mental and and advance those programs.
physical health outcomes in later life. My most recent work
explores theoretical models of developmental processes
that influence sense of self across adulthood, and the al- Jacqui Smith
location of coping resources to physical, cognitive, and
psychosocial stressors in older adults suffering from Biosketch
chronic illness or mental health problems.
I am a Senior Research Scientist at the Max Planck Insti-
My educational background includes a B. A. in Psychol- tute for Human Development in Berlin and currently also
ogy, and M. A., and Ph.D. from the Life Span Develop- Chair of the Research Group on Psychological Gerontol-
mental Psychology Program at Syracuse University. My ogy in the Medical School (Psychiatry) of the Free Univer-
graduate training addressed cognitive processes and per- sity of Berlin. This university position is linked to an inter-
sonality in later life. I also completed a two-year National disciplinary Doctoral Program on the Psychiatry and Psy-
Institute on Aging Post-Doctoral Fellowship in the Socio- chology of Aging funded by the German Research Coun-
cultural Gerontology Program at the University of Califor- cil. Since 1989, my primary research affiliation has been
nia San Francisco. with the Berlin Aging Study (BASE), a multidisciplinary
longitudinal study of men and women aged 70 100+ years.
I have been active in Division 20 since 1987, and was As well as being on the Steering Committee of this project,
awarded the Divisions Dissertation Research Award in I am Co-Director of the Psychology Unit (together with
1993. I was active as a student member and have contin- Paul. B. Baltes).
ued my involvement by serving on the Education commit-
tee and the Awards committee. For the past three years, I After obtaining my B. A. (with Honours) at the University
have worked closely with the Chair of the Awards commit- of Sydney, I held faculty positions as a Tutor and Senior
tee in administering Student Awards Program. I have been Tutor and completed my Ph. D. on music cognition and
a consistent presenter at the annual conventions since expertise at Macquarie University. In 1984, I moved to the
graduate school. I served as a reviewer for the Divisions Max Planck Institute in Berlin as a Postdoctoral Fellow
program and awards committees from 1993, as well. In with the intention to specialize in lifespan psychology, learn
terms of other national professional service, I am a mem- about research on aging, and return after two years leave-
ber of Division 38 and the Gerontological Society of of-absence to Macquarie University. However, when the
America. I also serve as an ad hoc reviewer for Psychol- opportunity arose to take up a research scientist position
ogy and Aging; the Journal of Gerontology: Psychological in Berlin in 1987, I decided to stay in Germany. In 1999, I
Sciences; Research on Aging among others. obtained the Habilitation degree at the Free University of
Berlin. My publications have dealt with aspects of cogni-
Statement tive aging (memory, wisdom, workplace skills, expertise),
self-regulation (life planning, self description, personal
As a Member-at-Large, my first goal will be to promote wellbeing), differential aging, and psychological predictors
and publicize interdisciplinary activities both within and of longevity. In the context of BASE, I am currently inves-
outside the Division. Our division membership is growing tigating age trajectories in personality and self-related func-
and our strength and visibility within APA increasing, as tioning and the transition from the Third to the Fourth Age.
noted by Roger Dixon in his Presidents Message (Fall
2000). With these accomplishments comes a need to con- Candidates continue on p. 8
tinue to build bridges with other divisions through interdis-
Members-at-Large (Continued)
Candidates continued from page 7 Before joining the VA, Dr. Spiro was Senior Data Analyst,
Department of Environmental Science and Physiology,
Harvard School of Public Health (1981-86), and Senior Re-
Although I have been an international member of APA for search Associate, Education Development Center (1986-
many years, I only finally succeeded in officially becom- 89). Dr. Spiro received his BA in Psychology from Emory
ing a member of Division 20 for the last two. I have, how- University; and his MS and PhD from The Pennsylvania
ever, been active as a reviewer and contributor to Psy- State University in Human Development and Family Stud-
chology and Aging and have regularly presented in the ies. His research interests are in aging and developmen-
Div. 20 section of APA conferences since 1985. Our re- tal methodology, including the influence of health on cog-
search at the Max Planck Institute and in association with nition, and the effects of personality on health, mental
BASE has also allowed many opportunities for collabora- health, oral health, and quality of life.
tion and exchange with colleagues in Div. 20 over the years.
Dr. Spiro has been a member of APA and Division 20 since
Statement 1977; he currently serves as co-chair of the awards com-
mittee. He is also a member of the Gerontological Soci-
For me, Division 20 represents an important forum for ety, Psychometric Society, American Statistical Associa-
psychologists interested in the potential and limits of indi- tion, American Public Health Association, and International
viduals to change during adulthood and old age to come Society for the Study of Traumatic Stress. He was re-
together to formulate research questions, develop appro- cently elected to membership in the Academy of Behav-
priate methods, and advance theory. On the one hand, ioral Medicine Research. Other professional activities in-
Div. 20 is attractive because it brings together specialists clude membership on editorial boards (Journal of Traumatic
from different areas: cognition, social, personality, health, Stress; Psychology and Health), journal reviews (Health
clinical and experimental. On the other hand, it is attrac- Psychology, Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sci-
tive because members of Div. 20 have a common mission ences, Psychology and Aging, Psychological Methods);
as advocates of the human capital initiatives to guide sci- and ad hoc reviews for the VA and the Department of De-
ence, public policy, and education in issues related to pro- fense research programs.
ductive aging, lifelong learning, intergenerational relations,
psychological wellbeing, and dignity in late life. I am inter- Statement
ested in working together with the Executive Committee
to foster these features of the Division. Furthermore, I My career has largely been in what are, for a psycholo-
would represent the international concerns of Div. 20 mem- gist, nontraditional settings such as schools of public
bers. health and the US Government. This provides me with a
somewhat unique perspective among most Division 20
members, and has led to my interest in applied aspects of
aging research, such as the relations between psycho-
Avron (Ron) Spiro III logical characteristics and health. A good deal of my time
is spent promoting interaction between researchers and
Biosketch medical, mental health, and public health practitioners. With
the aging of society, psychology, especially Division 20,
Avron (Ron) Spiro III is Research Scientist, US Depart- has much to contribute to these and other fields. In addi-
ment of Veterans Affairs (since 1986), and Assistant Pro- tion to the substantive base to which our members have
fessor, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, contributed, many in our Division recognize the importance
Boston University School of Public Health (since 1988). of applying appropriate methodology to the study of hu-
At the VA, he works with the Normative Aging Study (since man development and aging.
1986); the Center for Health Quality, Outcomes, and Eco-
nomic Research (since 1994); and the Massachusetts I would like to use my position as Member-at-Large to
Veterans Epidemiology Research and Information Center continue working with our awards program, and expanding
(since 1998). At BU, he collaborates with colleagues in it to recognize other forms of excellence outside of univer-
the Department of Neurology, BU School of Medicine on sity settings. Id also work bring our substantive and meth-
studies of language and aphasia (since 1996); and in the odological knowledge base to those in other divisions of
Department of Health Policy and Health Services Research,
BU School of Dental Medicine on oral health and quality of Candidates continue on p. 9
life (since 1998).
Members-at-Large (Continued)
praxis. Our central involvement in the Vitality for Life Com-
Candidates continued from page 8 mittee, and resulting hallmark publication, Human Capital
Initiative: Psychological Research for Productive Aging,
APA (e.g., Divisions 5, 8, 18, 38, 40) and to other fields as which was immediately used to advocate for research fund-
well, including medicine and public health. The breadth of ing in the psychological sciences, is a superb case in
interests among our membership, encompassing science, point. The current Zeitgeist of accountability, both inside
practice, education and policy, makes us an exemplary and outside of psychology, puts our Division in the excit-
division, and we should continue to present our message ing position of being able to capitalize on our previous
that Aging is Vital to the broader audience in APA and successes to pioneer new means of demonstrating how
beyond. our scholarship can solve real-world problems in our aging
society. Such endeavors contribute immeasurably to a
better understanding and appreciation for our scholarship.
If elected as a Member-at-Large, my primary goal would
Judith A. Sugar be to collaborate with members of the division to formu-
late new frontiers in which to demonstrate the practical
value of our scholarship. To build on our Divisions achieve-
Biosketch
ments, I also believe that we can develop fresh ways to
address the professional needs of our current and future
Judith A. Sugar is an Associate Professor in the interdis-
members.
ciplinary Health Ecology Department at the University of
Nevada, Reno. She has served as Director of the Sanford
Center for Aging, Associate Dean of the Graduate School
at UNR, and Associate Director of the Borun Center for Award Nominations Due
Gerontological Research at UCLA. She received her Ph.D.
in life-span developmental psychology from York Univer- Division 20 offers awards for research, teaching, and
sity in Toronto, was awarded a Postdoctoral Fellowship mentoring. Nomination deadlines for these awards are
from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council in the Spring:
of Canada, and, prior to assuming her current position,
was an Assistant and Associate Professor of Psychology 3/1 Retirement Research Foundation Mentor and
at Colorado State University, and Research Fellow and Master Mentor Award Nominations (materials due 5/4)
Visiting Faculty at the Division of Geriatric Medicine and
Gerontology at UCLA School of Medicine. 3/15 University Teaching Award Nominations
Dr. Sugar has been an active member of Division 20 since 5/30 Student Research Awards Nominations
she joined APA more than 15 years ago. She has been
privileged to serve the Division in many capacities, in- 6/1 Distinguish Research Career Award Nominations
cluding Elections Committee Chair, member of the Pro-
gram Committee, Research Awards Committee, and Edu- 6/1 Springer Early Career Award Nominations.
cation Committee, and as a reviewer for annual confer-
ence submissions. Dr. Sugar is also a Fellow in the Asso- We strongly encourage people to nominate their teach-
ciation for Gerontology in Higher Education, and a mem- ers, students, colleagues or themselves for these
ber of the Behavioral and Social Sciences Section of the awards. Individuals who were nominated for the men-
Gerontological Society of America. Her primary research tor awards within the past two years may re-activate
focus is on the assessment and enhancement of quality their files.
of life. She is also interested in memory, memory strate-
gies, and diversity issues in aging. Dr. Sugars work has Information on these awards can by found on the Divi-
resulted in more than 90 authored and co-authored journal sion 20 web site, http://aging.ufl.edu/apadiv20/
articles, book chapters, books, invited colloquia, and pre- apadiv20.htm. For more information, contact Dr. Carolyn
sentations at national and international conferences. Aldwin, Dept. of Human and Community Development,
University of California at Davis, Davis, CA 95616; (530)
Statement 752-2415; cmaldwin@ucdavis.edu.
With respect to the former, APAs membership is begin- My research has focused on improving older adult learn-
ning to decline. In the face of such changes, our Division ing and problem solving; improving skills related to older
must work to strengthen its membership base by encour- adult driving; family and friends intervention with older driv-
aging students and current APA members to join and by ers; maintaining professional competence; training and
fostering relationships with existing Division 20 members. career development; personality and housing choices by
Efforts toward this end should focus on the big tent as- older adults; and life planning research and curriculum de-
pect of our Division, in which research, application, and velopment for adults and older adults with MR/DD as part
education associated with aging are seen as essential parts of the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Ag-
of all areas of psychology and thus relevant to all psy- ing and Mental Retardation.
chologists, regardless of primary affiliation. We must also
do a better job at getting students involved in the Division, Funding has been received from the Andrus Foundation,
especially at convention time, in order to promote their Administration on Aging, National Institute on Aging, Na-
professional development as well as strengthen their iden- tional Highway Traffic Safety Administration and National
tification with aging and the Division. Hopefully, this will Institute of Developmental Disabilities Research. My pub-
translate into continued membership and involvement once lications include one co-authored text, three edited/co-ed-
they are professionals. Increasing membership should also ited books, over eighty articles and book chapters, and
boost the probability of obtaining an additional representa- more than two hundred professional presentations.
tive on APA Council, which would further increase our
Divisions voice. Statement
The second area of concernand of potential opportu- I believe that Division 20 has played and will continue to
nitydeals with proposed changes in the structure of the play major roles in advocacy for aging research, educa-
annual convention, which are intended to promote integra- tional program development, intervention and practice ap-
tion and communication across divisions. This may pro- proaches, applied areas (such as aging and work issues,
vide our Division with an excellent chance to promote the product design and human factors, housing design), broad
study of aging and to build bridges with other divisions efforts to support successful aging, and sensitive ap-
through collaborative programming efforts. We should take proaches to long-term care.
advantage of it.
Since my first involvement in helping to set the stage for
Older Boulder Conference Training Psychologists to Work
in the Field of Aging, I have been committed to introduc-
ing aging into undergraduate and graduate training in all
aspects of psychology.
Sterns continued from page 6
The need continues for well-trained psychologists in all
Gerontology and the Ohio Network of Educational Con- areas of aging, and the need for advocacy supporting re-
sultants in the Field of Aging of the Ohio Department of search funding remains pivotal. I join with many others in
Aging. I also Co-Chaired of the Education Committee and believing that Division 20 represents a wide variety of ag-
Chair Business Awards in Aging for the American Society ing-related careers committed to continuous growth in
on Aging. I have served as Member-at-Large (BSS), Fel- knowledge and practice. Division 20 must continue to
lowship Chair, and member Research, Education and Prac- reach out to other divisions, directorates and committees
tice Committee of the Gerontological Society of America. advocating for aging issues within APA, and effective link-
age with other aging organizations. Each of us in Division
Other experience includes, Delegate to White House Con- 20 must take an active role by voting, organizing votes to
ference on Aging and its Research Committee (1981), a regain our second Council Representative, recruiting other
four-year term as a member of the Aging and Human De- members, serving on committees, submitting contributions
velopment Study Section HUD 2 of the National Institutes to the convention, and actively supporting innovative con-
of Health, service on special committees for the National ference approaches by attendance. The last 53 years of
Academy of Science, Institute of Medicine and National Division 20 have been significant. The next 50 years will
Research Council. I currently serve on the Transportation bring the ultimate challenge.
Powells hobby was listening to music. At one time, he Interested in Teaching Tips from Sue Whitbourne et al. or
played the oboe, clarinet, and the saxophone, and in his information on Clinical Assessment from Peter
youth, even considered a career as a musician. He also Lichtenberg? Want to reread Don Kausler's Aging Re-
enjoyed chopping wood. search Hits of the 20th Century from Fall 1999? Need to
contact an Executive Board member or find the deadlines
All who worked with Powell will remember him as a men- for the next issue of the Division 20 Newsletter? Now, all
tor. He was never too busy to mentor. For example, for of the issues from Fall 1997 are archived on the Division
the past three summers, Powell and Fay traveled to Duluth, 20 web site: http://aging.ufl.edu/apadiv20/newslet.htm,
Minnesota to be on the faculty of Chandra Mehrotras sum- with their original formatting as pdf files. Come visit!
mer institute on the psychology of aging. The purpose of
cate more states about the need for such policies, as well
Grandparents continued from page 14 as to inform policy makers of the informal caregivers in
their jurisdiction and the particular obstacles such
social resources so that individuals might cope with their caregivers face (Beltran, 2000).
demands. In this light, custodial grandparents, who may
be especially prone to role conflict have indeed reported Longitudinal research, especially of a prospective nature,
social isolation and lessened social support from family may also yield important understandings regarding the
and age peers (Burton, 1992; Hayslip et al., 1998; Jendrek, antecedents of parental styles and coping mechanisms
1994; Shore & Hayslip, 1994). As reliable social support employed by custodial grandparents. To date, only two such
has been demonstrated to provide many health-related and studies exist (Hayslip, Emick & Hendserson, In Press;
psychosocial benefits to older adults (Unger, McAvay, Strawbridge, Wallhagen, Shema & Kaplan, 1997). Addi-
Bruce, Berman, & Seeman, 1999), workable social con- tionally, we know virtually nothing about the consequences
voys of support (Antonucci, 1989) may permit some grand- in adulthood of having been raised by one's grandparents.
parents to adapt to their surrogate parental roles. Also cru- Such persons may hold more positive attitudes toward
cial to this process might be the identification of critical aging or may be more effective parents. Moreover, we know
significant others under stressful circumstances via a pro- little about cultural variations in custodial grandparenting.
cess of socioemotional selectivity (Carstensen, 1995), as
well as an accurate assessment of both role demands Much work remains to be done! To the extent that grand-
and the grandparents' own resources to deal with the re- parent caregivers can continue to play viable and influen-
quirements of grandparental caregiving (see Pearlin, Mullan, tial roles in their grandchildren's lives and have meaning-
Semple, & Skaff, 1990). Attachment theory (see e.g. ful contact with them, both generations' emotional and
Ainsworth, 1989) might also prove a fruitful avenue by physical well being can be enhanced.
which to frame variations in adjustment to this newly de-
fined family system, viewed from both the grandparents References are available from Dr. Hayslip via e-mail at
and the grandchilds perspective. Likewise, theoretical de- hayslipb@unt.edu.
velopments in the psychology of grief and loss (Stroebe,
Hansson, Stroebe, & Schut, 2001) might also hold keys
to understanding grandparents' ambivalence, guilt, or hos- Remembering continued from page 13
tility directed to the adult parent whose child is being raised
year, he remembered them. I truly believe that this behavior
by the grandparent, and to the grandchild's relationship to reflects Powells sincere desire to make newcomers to Geron-
the parent who has abandoned him or her. tology feel welcome and included, and his incredible humility
about his own stature. I will greatly miss his warm greetings
Likewise, there is little properly designed intervention re- and I am very sorry that my future students will never have the
search to document the effects of both formal and infor- opportunity to receive them.
mal community-based programs on grandparent caregivers Mary Ann Parris Stephens
and their grandchildren. What is available often fails to
include control groups, fails to utilize random assignment Powell Lawton worked with us here at the College of St.
Scholastica in Duluth, MN for more than 17 years. During this
to groups, is often based on small samples of convenience
period he made at least twelve visits to the College to teach
which are not generalizable to the underlying population of courses, to offer seminars, to conduct workshops, and to pro-
grandparent caregivers, and does not incorporate even vide research consultation. For the past three years he was
short term, to say nothing of long term, follow-up efforts serving as a visiting professor in an NIA-supported research
to document efficacy. Such work might be best under- training program in aging that we offer for psychology faculty
stood as involving levels of intervention (see e.g., Danish, from 4-year colleges. As a mentor to the participants in this
1981), wherein efforts to effect the adjustment and well program he reviewed their rough drafts, suggested assess-
being of custodial grandparents could be targeted to the ment methods, and helped them address reviewers comments
culture at large, the community, and to the interpersonal on their initial submission. Thus, he touched hundreds of fac-
ulty members, college students, service providers, and com-
system which incorporates the grandparent, his or her
munity members. We believe that the widespread impact of his
spouse, and the grandchildren that are and are not being work will continue for a very long time. This summer I will miss
cared for by the grandparent. Of course, the impact of him, his expertise, his wisdom, and his humor at the institute
such interventions might vary with individual differences he helped us design.
in both grandparent and grandchild characteristics, such Chandra M. Mehrotra
as health status, age, gender, race, and ethnicity.
I met Dr. M. Powell Lawton first in June of 1988, when
In this context, it is significant that many states are en- spending a couple of months at the PGC. From this time on, we
acting responsive and supportive public policies for these had regular interchanges, in person normally on GSA meet-
families (Beltran, 2000). Yet, the challenge remains to edu- Remembering continued on page 16
Remembering continued on page 15 I was a postdoc at PGC from 1997-2000 and worked
with Powell until last summer. He was, as everyone knows, a
ings. We also had the pleasure that Powell and Fay visited the consummate scientist and rare human being. Although now I
German Centre for Research on Ageing at the University of sometimes cringe at the number of meetings I have to attend,
Heidelberg in January 1999 and all of us still remember vividly I recall looking forward to every meeting at PGC at which I
his very impressive talk on measuring the quality of life of knew Powell would be present. At each one you knew you
impaired nursing home residents. Actually, we expected Powell would learn something, that Powell would have an idea or
for another presentation on a conference to be held in April of perspective that would shift everything that came before and
this year here in Heidelberg. We will miss him very much. everything that came after. He was intelligent in that way. But
Hans-Werner Wahl his comments werent just smart. They demonstrated at an-
other level his deep and genuine concern for improving the
I have no big things to report in my memories of Powell lives of older adults. When you passed by Powells office you
but there are so many small things that I treasure. He was would often find him hunched over a yellow legal pad, crafting
consistently gracious and kind to me when I was a graduate his manuscripts by hand, and he was always ready to turn
student at Texas A&M University and chair of the student orga- from his work to listen to your ideas, to comment and to en-
nization of GSA in the mid 80s. One time after a GSA board courage. He was a man of great spirit, humble to a fault, gen-
meeting we rode on the train together from Washington, DC to erous to all.
Philadelphia and he was genuinely interested in hearing about Brian Carpenter
my studies and research. He volunteered guidance on my
clinical work and my dissertation with pearls of wisdom that I I had a chance to read all of the wonderful statements
continue to use and teach to my own students. Later when I collected by Liz. Each of them rings so true. For close to thirty
was on faculty at Ball State University he came to speak at a years Powell was a mentor and friend. He came to Akron 3
conference I organized. He showed the same interest and times, the last to Keynote the 15th Anniversary of our Institute.
kindness to another speaker who was an 85-year-old retired Last summer Powell agreed to serve as a consultant for a
minister living in a local retirement village. He had such a major grant proposal that we were doing here. Like so many
beautiful way of making both students and elders feel as have said, he was supportive and kind to colleagues. Peace to
though we were interesting, worthwhile people and that he, you Dr. Lawton.
the master, could learn from us as well as be our teacher. Harvey Sterns
Royda Crose