ࡗFamily Contingencies Across the Generations: Grandparent-Grandchild Relationships in Holistic PerspectiveFamily relationships do not occur in isolation but rather are embedded within greater systems of family ties. In recognition of the need to study families holistically, we explore how relations between grandparents and grandchildren are contingent upon a matrix of intergenerational relationships. Using data from the Iowa Youth and Families Project, our analyses focus on personcentered types of grandparent-grandchild relationships and the legacy of social ties across the generations, as mediated by other family relationships. We find multiple dimensions of grandparents' involvement with their grandchildren to be associated with (a) whether the grandparents knew their own grandparents when they were young, (b) the grandparent's perceptions of contact and closeness with the target grandchild, and (c) nuances in the relationships of grandparents with the parent generation.Studies have recently emphasized the need to understand families holistically. Relationships among family members are embedded within larger family systems and are often contingent upon

Grandparents are increasingly playing a significant role in the lives of their grandchildren, though surprisingly little is known about what actually happens within a grandparent-grandchild relationship. Researchers have often employed variable-centered approaches to predict levels of contact or quality in grandparent-grandchild relationships, masking variations in patterns of experience. We use a person-centered clustering methodology to identify patterns in the attributes and behaviors of older Americans who describe their relationship with an adolescent grandchild. Data are drawn from the Iowa Youth and Families Project and the Iowa Single Parent Project. These data include indicators of face-to-face contact, authority and discipline, instrumental assistance, interpersonal support, intimacy, and shared activities. Five distinct clusters of grandparents emerge from the analysis, who we have identified as influential, supportive, passive, authority-oriented, and detached. These five types are differentiated by relevant social factors and have implications for the quality and closeness of the grandparent-grandchild relationship.

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Processes by which an attitude is polarized via social interaction were investigated in Experiment I. Subjects were led to expect interaction with the same partner or a different partner in three future sessions (high or low commitment to future interaction, respectively). All subjects received a communication from the partner which advocated either a less extreme or more extreme position than the subject's. Commitment to future interaction facilitated attitude change toward the partner's position regardless of extremity. Commitment to a consonant act (Experiment II), manipulated via public or private identification of subjects' consonant essay, also facilitated change toward an extreme consonant communication, but increased resistance to a discrepant communication. The results suggest that processes related to commitment may provide one explanation for the polarization of attitudes.In typical investigations of attitude change, one determines the reactions of the subject to a communication advocating an opinion opposite to his own. A good deal of the literature is concerned with the conditions under which a discrepant communication leads the subject to abandon his attitudinal position in favor of the opposite one.In contrast, the present research investigated the largely unexplored area of attitude change in response to an extreme but consonant communication. In this case, the extreme communication may be viewed as consonant in that it implies broad agreement with an initial attitude but specifically advocates a position more extreme than the subject's. Although relatively little is known about shifts from moderate to more extreme atti-

To understand the relationship between pediatricians' personal health and the delivery of pediatric preventive care, Illinois pediatricians were surveyed by mail. Responses from 387 pediatricians (55% response rate) regarding personal characteristics, their practice, and perceptions about preventive care patterns for children aged 2 through 10 years and management of overweight children were analyzed. Overall, 28% of pediatricians were healthy and fit (excellent/very good health and extremely/ very fit), 40% were either healthy or fit, and 33% were neither healthy nor fit. In logistic regression models controlling for personal and practice characteristics, healthy and fit pediatricians (vs neither healthy nor fit pediatricians) more routinely provided recommended care on child diet (odds ratio [OR], 3.1; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.6-6.2) and physical activity (OR, 3.2; 95% CI, 1.6-6.3) and assessed television time (OR, 4.4; 95% CI, 2.0-10.1). Pediatricians who were either healthy or fit (vs pediatricians who were neither healthy nor fit) more often assessed television time. Therefore, clinician health influenced application of preventive care.