2024 Undergraduate Research Showcase

Grandparental Investment and the Role of Family Conflict

Document Type

Student Presentation

Presentation Date

4-19-2024

Faculty Sponsor

Dr. Kristin Snopkowski

Abstract

Our research project examines the implications of care given by grandparents to their grandkid(s), based on the differing relationships between grandparents and their sons/daughters-in-law. We intend to investigate the ways grandparents share or withhold resources from their grandkid(s). The grandmother hypothesis, which posits that kin selection is the evolutionary basis for menopause, will be the framework for this project. We plan to track both the ways grandparents invest as well as their perceptions of their own levels of investment. We plan on conducting interviews with grandparents to collect data on how their relationships with their children, childrens’ partners, and grandchildren impact the level of investment they are able/willing to give. Additionally, we will gather data on the types of resources grandparents provide to their grandchild. Our preliminary hypothesis is that the feelings grandparents have toward their grandchild’s other parent (the interviewee’s son or daughter in-law) will influence their degree of investment into each grandchild. This research will add to the growing literature on the importance of grandparents in grandchildren’s lives and the factors that influence this investment.

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