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Within the Convoy Model, social networks are viewed as dynamic hierarchic structures surrounding the individual throughout life. As a step toward empirical definition of convoy structure and function across the life span, a bicultural sample (N = 159) of young adult women, their mothers, and their grandmothers were queried. Comparable results were obtained across generations and cultures with regard to network size, the amount of support provided by the network, and the nomination of close family members as primary sources of support. However, there was a marked shift across generations in the balance of familial versus friendship relations. Younger persons included fewer family members and more friends in their networks, and they received more support from friends. These cross-sectional results are consistent with the Convoy Model and suggest that longitudinal research is warranted.

Exchanges of intergenerational support were assessed in a bicultural (Anglo/European-American and Latin American) sample of young-adult women, their mothers, and their maternal grandmothers. The goals of the study were (a) to describe the extent of supportive intergenerational exchange, with a particular focus on the balance of exchange across generations, (b) to evaluate the association of support with intergenerational relationship quality, and (c) to explore links between supportive exchange, relationship quality, and personal well-being. Support exchanges were imbalanced across generations, with middlegeneration women providing more support to mothers and daughters than they received. Support and relationship quality were linked for younger mother-daughter dyads, but perceptions of older women regarding relations with daughters were positively biased and not tied significantly to support exchange. Intergenerational relationship quality was associated with well-being for each generation. The cross-cultural consistency of these results suggests that they represent more general patterns of intergenerational relations.

Older adults frequently encounter difficulties performing daily living activities. Often times these difficulties arise because environmental demands create barriers which hinder task performance. Currently, there is little empirical data that relate environmental demands to functional capabilities of older adults. The concepts and methods of Human Factors Engineering can be used to accomplish this goal. Human Factors views task performance within a systems context and maintains that successful task performance is dependent on a match between task demands and human capabilities. This article will discuss how Human Factors methodologies can be used to analyze problems encountered by older adults performing routine activities. Data from a study concerned with identifying physiological demands associated with personal and instrumental activities of daily living will be used to demonstrate the utility of using this approach.