The purpose of this book is to introduce a conceptual and methodological perspective called the "universalist approach," and to use this approach in exploring the pancultural antecedents and affects of parental acceptance-rejection of children,

This study investigates cross-cultural determinants and consequences of parental affection and rejection. Findings indicate that accepted children are less hostile and dependent and have higher self-esteem in both childhood and adulthood. Additional findings suggest that children who experienced parental acceptance had higher emotional responsiveness, better world view, more emotional stability, generosity, and nurturance as adults.

This chapter investigates the relationship between parental acceptance/rejection and personality characteristics of children and adults. The author analyzes evidence from two cross-cultural samples, one cross-national psychological sample, and one all-American sample. Only the tests using cross-cultural samples are reported here. Results suggest that parental rejection is related to certain personality characteristics of adults and children.

This article examines height and sexual dimorphism of stature from a sociobiological perspective. Diet, child rearing, and marriage practices are tested as possible factors contributing to height sexual dimorphism of stature. Results provide some support for a nutritional hypotheses, but sexual selection and parental investment are not statistically significant.

This study is a continuation of previous research on the relationship between stress during infancy and adult height. With a better understanding of the stressors that infants experience and their effects, the authors test whether the relationship between stress and adult height remains significant when accounting for other environmental factors that may influence adult height. Results suggest that the relationship between infant stress and adult height does remain significant. Findings also show a relationship between infant stress and age at menarche.

This study explores cultural variables associated with frequency of drunkenness and ceremonial drinking. Particular attention was paid to childhood socialization variables, as well as politcal and social organization. Results show a low correlation between frequency of drunkenness and frequency of ceremonial drinking, and various other variables are associated with each.

Dietary variation has been implicated in population-level heath outcomes such as adult height and infant health. Here the author investigates these relationships in a sample of 118 nonindustrial societies, providing a comparative and quantitative assessment of nutrition and health cross-culturally.

In previous studies, researchers have observed an increased growth rate in rats that experienced stimulation during infancy. This study examines the relationship between stressful experiences during infancy and adult male stature in humans cross-culturally. Results suggest a strong positive relationship between infant stress and adult male stature.

The Trivers-Willard hypothesis posits that concentrations of human milk immune factors vary with maternal condition (maternal diet diversity and body mass index) and the sex of the infant. Using linear mixed-effects models to analyze 358 milk samples from 10 international sites, the authors find minimal support for the Trivers-Willard hypothesis; only one immune factor, IgG, exhibited a significant relationship.

The present study examines the effect of social status on stature sexual dimorphism and whether food security acts as a mediator for this relationship. In societies where females have high social status and can exercise mate choice, there is lower stature sexual dimorphism. Food security enhances these results. Conversely, there is greater stature sexual dimorphism in societies where females have low social status and cannot exercise mate choice, especially if there is food insecurity.