The article tests theories that may explain why warfare frequency varies from society to society. The focus is on ecological problems, particularly different kinds of resource scarcity, but social and psychological theories are also tested with both bivariate and multivariate analyses. Because unpredictable disasters are such a strong predictor in nonstate societies, the authors theorize that war may mostly be caused by a fear of nature.

Derived from the fear of supernatural punishment hypothesis, this paper explores whether the prosocial attitude of a group or individuals will increase with the threat of punishment from a high god or visible supernatural agent, such as sorcerers and witches. The author found that fear of supernatural punishment did not affect prosocial behavior and suggested that religious beliefs may give rise to institutions with the task of enforcing social compliance rather than direct control.

This article offers a behavioral ecological approach to the study of child training practicies. Gender differences in child training are discussed in light of evolutionary theory, and the author suggests training is likely tailored to promote the reproductive success of each gender. Generally, boys are trained to be more aggressive, stronger, and self-reliant; girls are trained to be more hard-working, responsible, obedient, and sexually restrained. Gender differences in child training frequently vary with degree of polygyny and/or social stratification in a society.

This paper reviews the results of the author's cross-cultural studies of war and aggression and their implications for prehistory.

Research sampled 143 societies from the Standard Cross Cultural Sample to test the relationship between honor culture, social rewards for warriors, and intergroup conflicts. Using mediation analysis based on multiple regression, and structural equation modeling, the research supported the theory that honor culture was positively associated with intergroup conflict, and that this relationship was mediated by social rewards for warriors.

Authors look for associations between the gender of children and several dimensions of socialization anxiety.

This study reanalyzes the work of Barry, Bacon and Child (1957) on sex differences in child socialization. The authors use factor analysis to determine if the results of the original study are consistent with results yielded using modern methods and computer analysis. Authors find that there is no one general dimension of male-female difference in socialization and that the conclusions of Barry, Bacon, and Child have little meaning.

This study examines differences in the ease of socialization for male and female children in preindustrial societies. Results support the hypothesis that the socialization of females is accomplished more easily than the socialization of males.

This article investigates the relationship between economic type and socialization of children. The author focuses on the concentration of value emphases in childhood socialization--that is, whether children are instilled with several different value orientations rather than just one or two. Value concentration is examined alongside subsistence technology and economic diversification; attention is also paid to gender differences.

This study examines the relationship between disciplining children and cognitive complexity. 1027 relationships between individual variable pairs are tested, and a significant portion support an association between pressure for obedience to social norms and complexity. Additional socialization variables are considered; gender and age differences are also discussed.