Duane F. Alwin, PHD, is McCourtney Professor of Sociology and Demography and Director of the Center on Population Health and Aging at Pennsylvania State University. In addition to a concentration on survey methodology, his research interests include a wide range of phenomena concerned with the connection of human development and social change, as well as the impact of demographic and historical processes on individual cognitive, ideological, and attitudinal development. Dr. Alwin has published extensively in social science literature and is the recipient of more than two dozen prestigious awards, grants, and special university honors.