Infant socialization and games of chance

Ethnology • Vol/Iss. 11 • Published In • Pages: 296-308 •
By Barry III, Herbert, Roberts, John M.

Abstract

This paper explores the relationship between games of chance and various aspects of infant socialization, as well as subsistence economy and social organization. Several significant associations were found between these variables.

Samples

Sample Used Coded Data Comment
OtherOther Researchers
Ethnographic Atlas (EA)

Hypotheses (14)

HypothesisSupported
"A measure of sleeping proximity to the mother is also negatively associated with games of chance, but this relationship is very slight for the societies outside North America" (300)Supported
"Physical protectiveness [in infancy and early childhood] . . . is positively associated with games of chance, and the . . . relationship for the world sample is supported in the subsample outside North America" (300)Supported
"Societies with games of chance tend to have an earlier age for modesty training" (306)Supported
"Games of chance are negatively associated with frequency of proximity to the father in infancy" (300)Supported
"An ordinal scale for rigidity of carrying device for the infant is positively associated with games of chance" (300)Supported
"The world sample shows a high negative association between games of chance and [carrying position with respect to infant's] opportunity to interact with the carrier; the association is weak and non-significant in the subsample outside North America" (300)Supported
"Intensity of cultivation shows a curvilinear relationship with games of chance for the world sample, but [has a positive, significant association] with games of chance in the [subsample] outside of North America" (302)Not Supported
"Jurisdictional hierarchy . . . is positively associated with games of chance both for the world sample and outside North America" (302)Supported
"Family size is positively associated with games of chance" (302)Supported
"The ground plan of the house tends to be circular or elliptical rather than rectangular in societies with games of chance" (302)Supported
"Societies with games of physical skill and games of chance tend to have a variable rather than constant supply of food resources, intercommunity food for trade, storage of food, and land transport by animals or vehicles rather than humans" (302)Supported
"Bodily restrictiveness . . . in early infancy shows a . . . positive association with games of chance" (300)Supported
"In later infancy the association [between bodily restrictiveness and games of chance] . . . is statistically significant only for the world sample" (300)Supported
"Bodily contact is a measure of the proportion of the day when the baby is held or carried by caretakers. . . . It is negatively associated with games of chance both in the early and later stage of infancy for the world sample" (300)Supported
Documents and Hypotheses Filed By: mas  Megan Farrer