Size, complexity, and organizational variation: a comparative approach

Cross-Cultural Research • Vol/Iss. 45 • Published In • Pages: 37-58 •
By Feinman, Gary M.

Hypothesis

The scale of human groups (particularly community size) is associated with hierarchical complexity (49)

Note

Hypotheses are supported by a review of previous literature. Relationship is weaker in narrower demographic ranges.

Test

Test NameSupportSignificanceCoefficientTail
No Formal TestUNKNOWNUNKNOWNUNKNOWNUNKNOWN

Variables

Variable NameVariable Type OCM Term(s)
Hierarchical ComplexityDependentTerritorial Hierarchy
Scale Of Human GroupsIndependentCommunity Structure

Related Hypotheses

Main AuthorHypothesis
Betzig, Laura L.As groups increase in size and hierarchical complexity, individuals in power will exploit their positions to resolve conflicts of interest within the group asymmetrically (210).
Betzig, Laura L.As groups increase in size and hierarchical complexity, individuals in power will use their asymmetrical advantage to collect perquisites as third parties and a proportionate amount of polygynous relationships (210).
Caticha, Nestor, Calsaverini, Rafael S., Vincente, RenatoModern non-literate humans tend to exhibit an intermediate degree of social hierarchy in mild climates, while in harsher climates the degree of social hierarchy tends to be correlated to the group size (with groups of less than 100 people tending to be more egalitarian, and those with more than 1000 members tending to be more hierarchical).
Caticha, Nestor, Calsaverini, Rafael S., Vincente, RenatoWhile social organization among humans and our evolutionary ancestors has tended to shift towards more egalitarian modes as encephalization occurred over the last few million years, it has generally been shifting back towards more hierarchical modes in the last several thousand years following the global population explosions of the Holocene.
Turchin, PeterSocial complexity variables will cluster into two categories (scale and nonscale), resulting in two significant principal components of variation.