This study re-examines the hypothesis of Sapir (1916) regarding the relationship between levirate and sororate and kinship terminology. The author critiques Murdock’s (1947) work on this topic and performs his own analysis for four hypotheses. Results suggest that “the levirate and sororate are significantly correlated to the occurrence of bifurcate merging terminology and step-bifurcate collateral terminology” (352). Exceptions to this finding are also discussed.

The article examines whether cultural groups tend to use supernatural beliefs more to explain natural phenomena or social phenomena. Analysis of ethnographic text from 114 diverse societies reveals that supernatural explanations are more common for natural phenomena, consistent with the theory that humans tend to perceive intent and agency in the natural world. However, supernatural explanations of social phenomena were more prevalent in urbanized societies with greater social complexity and anonymity. The study highlights how people use supernatural beliefs to explain their world and how this varies across small-scale and urbanized communities.

In this study researchers were interested in the evolution of units of measurement from the concrete, tangible phenomena from which they originated to their current abstractness. The study looked at 48 English linear measures with known origins from the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), along with ethnographies from 30 different cultures in HRAF, from which 352 different length units emerged. The ‘career of measurement’ was broken down into four different stages – ad hoc comparison, conventionalization, standardization, and systematization. These four stages were directly linked to changes in how the units themselves were used and understood both in language as well as everyday life. In both the OED as well as HRAF, units of measurement often stemmed from the human body, exemplifying the important role the body plays in abstract thinking. Although this study in particular focused on units of length, the researchers believe that the same trends will extend to other units of measurement including weight, volume, and area.

This article reviews psychological, sociobiological, and cultural materialist theories on male homosexuality. The author tests hypotheses focusing on parent-child relations, the gender of childhood companions, and residence patterns. Only the gender of childhood companions was significantly associated with homosexuality.

This study examines aggression in folktales in relation to child socialization variables. The author suggests that punishment for aggression and aggression anxiety are related to how aggression is portrayed in folktales. Hypotheses are supported.