Documents
- Greater wealth inequality, less polygyny: rethinking the polygyny threshold modelRoss, Cody T. - Journal of The Royal Society Interface, 2018 - 3 Hypotheses
In this article, the authors reconsider the polygyny threshold model in order to account for the "polygyny paradox." This paradox, as the authors define it, is the trend away from polygyny as societies adopt stratified agricultural economies. This is despite an increase in both the importance of material wealth and greater leaves of wealth inequality both of which would otherwise suggest increased polygyny. The authors develop a new model that does account for this paradox.
Related Documents Cite More By Author - The Origins and Maintenance of Female Genital Modification across AfricaRoss, Cody T. - Human Nature, 2016 - 1 Hypotheses
The researchers develop and compare two evolutionary models to evaluate the association between social stratification and female genital modification(FGMo) in a cross-cultural African sample, theorizing that social hierarchy creates competition for high-value males in which FGMo acts as a costly demonstration of paternity certainty. Although the null model outperforms the stratification model when applied to empirical data, an association between FGMo and stratification is found in the expected direction. The authors suggest that while stratification may be an important factor in the de novo origins of FGMo, spread and persistence of the practice subsequently become more heavily dependent on other selective forces.
Related Documents Cite More By Author - Frequency-Dependent Social Transmission and the Interethnic Transfer of Female Genital Modification in the African Diaspora and Indigenous Populations of ColombiaRoss, Cody T. - Human Nature, 2015 - 4 Hypotheses
Researchers examine ethnographic literature from Africa and Colombia and conduct interviews in 12 Colombian cities with the aim of exploring the connection between female genital modification (FGMo) in Colombia and Africa. They theorize that the trans-atlantic slave trade was the start of sociocultural transmission of FGMo pratices to Colombia, and that this will be evident based on the presence of FGMo practices and the composition and connectivity of populations.
Related Documents Cite More By Author - Aggressive Mimicry and the Evolution of the Human Cognitive NicheMoser, Cody J. - Human Nature, 2023 - 1 Hypotheses
This study explores the ways in which human deception has evolved using a sample of 145 societies from eHRAF. After noticing that most research has focused just on tactical deception on humans, this study delved into the categorization and prevalence of human aggressive mimicry. The authors suggest that deception evolved from the context of directing it toward prey. The presence of human aggressive mimicry supports that this is a near-universal cross-cultural practice among hunter-gatherers and the authors highlight the importance of further research on human-nonhuman interactions. The authors posit that this hypothesis could serve as a link between the Social Brain Hypothesis and the Foraging Brain Hypothesis.
Related Documents Cite More By Author - Folktale transmission in the arctic provides evidence for high bandwidth social learning among hunter–gatherer groupsRoss, Robert M. - Evolution and Human Behavior, 2016 - 4 Hypotheses
The myths, legends, and folktales of nearby groups tend to more alike than those of more distant groups. Three competing models attempt to explain this distribution of cultural traits: (1) vertical transmission, (2) horizontal transmission, and (3) independent innovation. The authors examine 18 Arctic hunter-gatherer groups to quantify the extent to which geographic distance, cultural ancestry, and effective population size predict overlap in folktale inventories.
Related Documents Cite More By Author - Kinbank: A global database of kinship terminologyPassmore, Sam - PLoS ONE, 2023 - 2 Hypotheses
Kinbank is a global database of 210,903 kinship terms derived from 1,229 spoken and signed languages. The authors created Kinbank as a tool to help explain recurring patterns across cultures through kinship terminology. They illustrate its usefulness by addressing two questions as an example: 1) Is there gender bias in the phonological structure of parent terms? and 2) Did bifurcate-merging terminology and cross-cousin marriage co-evolve in Bantu languages? Using a Bayesian phylogenetic approach, the authors find support for the first question, but none for the latter.
Related Documents Cite More By Author - Political organization and political participation: exit, voice, and loyalty in preindustrial societiesRoss, Marc Howard - Comparative Politics, 1988 - 2 Hypotheses
This article examines causes of political participation in pre-industrial societies, particularly the level of resources and organization of resources. Hirschman’s concepts of exit, voice, and loyalty are also discussed. A distinction is made between range of community decision-making and the degree of adult involvement. Results from a multiple regression analysis favor the more structural variables (i.e. organization of resources) in the prediction of political participation.
Related Documents Cite More By Author - Socioeconomic complexity, socialization, and political differentiation: a cross-cultural studyRoss, Marc Howard - Ethos, 1981 - 2 Hypotheses
This article examines structural and dispositional explanations for complexity of political institutions. Analysis suggests that both socioeconomic organization and socialization variables are useful in understanding the concentration, specialization, and centralization of political power, but socioeconomic organization variables have stronger associations.
Related Documents Cite More By Author - Female political participation: a cross-cultural explanationRoss, Marc Howard - American Anthropologist, 1986 - 2 Hypotheses
This paper explores societal-level mechanisms associated with women’s participation in and exclusion from political life. Analysis suggests there are two statistically independent types of female political participation: involvement in decision-making and the existence of positions controlled by or reserved for women. Multiple regression analysis identifies several social-structural, psychocultural, and behavioral correlates for both types of female political participation and explanatory theory is discussed.
Related Documents Cite More By Author - A cross-cultural theory of political conflict and violenceRoss, Marc Howard - Political Psychology, 1986 - 0 Hypotheses
This study tests various theories on conflict. Multiple regression analyses are presented and support is given for the psychocultural perspective.
Related Documents Cite More By Author