This paper investigates the relationship between discipline experiences in preindustrial societies and aggressive behavior at the societal level. No associations are found between discipline experiences and suicide, murder, aggression resulting from alcohol consumption, or aggression expressed in war-making.

This study tests for an association between suicide rates and cultural fear of the dead. Tests do not support a significant relationship.

This paper tests for a relationship between practices of mutilation and self-torture and the incidence of suicidal behavior in preindustrial, nonliterate societies. Several hypotheses are tested but none supported.

In this article, the author seeks to understand the effect of witchcraft beliefs (both personal and regional) on various measures of social capital. Through empirical tests, the author concludes that witchcraft beliefs are robustly associated with anti-social attitudes in 19 Sub-Saharan African countries. Specifically, they find that witchcraft and other supernatural beliefs significantly affect levels of both generalized trust and trust for people of other religions. They also find that these attitudes are present among second-generation immigrants to Europe who originate from these countries. The worldwide Standard Cross-Cultural Sample is also used to examine relationships between witchcraft, mistrust, and other anti-social behaviors.

Authors present a model of optimal postmarital residence rules based on human capital investments made before marriage. Implications of this model are tested cross-culturally. Environmental, subsistence, economic, and social variables are considered as predictors of postmarital residence patterns.

This article tests Randall Collin's 1975 theory that political-economic factors, rather than family/kinship factors, predict the degree of sexual stratification in a given society. A multivariate model is tested and findings contradict the theory.

The author evaluates predictions from the standard model of intensification of food production and suggests it be rejected based on an analysis of 40 societies. The standard model proposes that food producers will increase their energy input until the maximum possible output is achieved, at which point output and labor productivity will fall and producers will invent or adopt new technologies. He then proposes a different model, which he terms the cultural niche construction model. The cultural niche construction model proposes that societies will minimize their energy input while maximizing their returns through continual technological adaptation and niche construction. After predictions from this second model are tested, the author suggests tentatively accepting the cultural niche construction model as a new framework to explain transitions to complex societies.

The cross-cultural test on preindustrial societies is a very minor part of a larger work testing the theory that a psychological factor--need for achievement--plays a large role in understanding economic growth and decline. Most of the work focuses on countries and complex societies in the historical past.

This study tests for potential correlates of the fear of death in non-literate societies. Significant associations were found between the use of love-oriented techniques for punishment and a fear of death and a high need to achieve and a fear of death.

This study examines socio-economic predictors of political complexity. Findings suggest that class stratification is the most significant predictor of political complexity.