This chapter tests the influences of physiological stressors during infancy on different aspects of musical behavior. Findings suggest that songs in societies where infantile stress is practiced will be characterized by stronger accents and a wider range.

This chapter attempts to explain why the number, importance, and duration of food and sex taboos during pregnancy vary cross-culturally. The author hypothesizes that differences in child socialization will be associated with differences in food taboos, and differences in sexual behavior and sanctions will be associated with sex taboos. Results support the hypotheses.

This article seeks to examine the distribution and frequency of bride-theft. Tylor's (1889) findings between various forms of marriage by capture and certain other social instituions are confirmed.

A large-scale comparative study of folk songs around the world employing systematic measures (cantometrics). The aim was not just to describe variation but to test hypotheses about the relationships between song style and societal structures. Dance was also considered.

In asking whether or not there are meaningful universals in music, researchers compiled two catalogs – the Natural History of Song (NHS) Ethnography which contains ethnographic descriptions of song performances collected from eHRAF World Cultures, and the NHS Discography, which contains field recordings of performances of dance, healing, love, and lullaby. Using these two corpora, the study tests a variety of hypotheses about the universality and variability of both music behavior and music form. Specifically, whether there are meaningful universals in meaning and sound. The catalog of published sound recordings was analyzed by machine summaries, listener ratings, and manual transcriptions, which revealed that there were identifiable features of songs which could then predict their primary function cross-culturally. The results as a whole revealed that the existence of music is a cultural universal, and that the variation within music can be characterized by three factors assessing the formality, arousal, and religiosity of the song events. They also found that musical behavior varies more within societies than between them.

This paper explores the relationship between polygyny and societal rank. Results suggest that the higher a male's rank, the higher the incidence of polygyny.

Child-rearing practices are tested for a relationship to art and music characteristics in a cross-cultural sample.

This chapter examines infant carrying practices across cultures. The author suggests that infant carrying practices are affected by both climate and history. Findings indicate regional patterns in infant carrying practices and in the borrowing of infant carrying practices within regions. Results support the hypothesis.

This chapter discusses the predictors of the couvade and male circumcision ceremonies cross-culturally. New findings suggest relationships between these two variables and infant carrying practices, marital residence, and descent.

This chapter examines the relationship between social cohesion (measured using variables like subsistence type, stable work teams, and settlement patterns) and musical cohesion. All hypotheses are supported.