The author utilizes Beardsley et al.'s (1956) settlement pattern typology to develop a five-rank scale of cultural complexity. The scale was developed using 30 traits converted into categorical form. The scale is designed for use by archaeologists to infer or presume the existence of certain nonmaterial cultural traits in a given society.

Previous research into the origins of human violence and warfare has oftentimes been inconclusive and controversial. This paper examines two alternative theories as to the evolution of human violence using archaeological records on sharp force trauma (SFT) and blunt force trauma (BFT). The study is limited to 13 different California ethnolinguistic groups. Researchers find that violence is not predicted by sociopolitical complexity, but rather by environmental productivity. This supports the idea that in contexts of resource scarcity, the perceived benefits to engage in lethal aggression may outweigh perceived costs.

This paper presents empirical tests of two theories put forth to explain violence toward women. The first predicts that warfare promotes socialization for aggression and legitimizes violence toward women, while the second predicts that violence works as a way to control potential for female infidelity. An association is found between high male-to-female sex ratio and violence towards women, suggesting support for the second theory over the first, which is consistent with more narrowly-focused studies by Avakame (1999), Bose et al. (2013), and D'Alessio & Stolzenberg (2010).

This study tests the weaning food availability hypothesis, that both the introduction of foods other than breastmilk and the cessation of breastfeeding will vary by society's subsistence type. This hypothesis has implications for demography, as accelerated weaning can lead to increases in both mothers' fertility (due to decreased birth intervals) and infant mortality (due to the presence of pathogens in new foods).

This study tests for a relationship between subsistence type and fertility using phylogenetic and statistical analyses. The authors find a clear relationship between dependence on agriculture and fertility among non-permanently settled groups.

This study focuses on the relationship between pathogen prevalence and mate selection. Results show that increased pathogen prevalence is significantly associated with an increased importance in the physical attractiveness of potential mates.

"An exchange theory of social behavior is advanced to explain intersocietal differences in sex codes…[Results indicate] modest support for the thesis that the location of power and resources as they influence social interaction and exchange are contributory forces in accounting for the level of sexual permissiveness found in society" (1).

This study presents a sociological theory of marriage type based on socioeconomic organization. Results suggest that intensive agriculture, more stratification, greater political integration, a fixed settlement pattern, a larger population, and greater labor specialization tended to be correlates of monogamy.

This study uses a multiple regression analysis to examine the relationship between society type and several variables of societal organization. Results suggest that limited family type is more likely to be found in complex societies.

This study looks at the relationship between the presence of love magic in a society and sexual anxiety. Results show support for the hypothesis that love magic is positively correlated with sexual anxiety.