The dead may kill you: Do ancestor spirit beliefs promote cooperation in traditional small-scale societies

The Journal of Cognition and Culture Vol/Iss. 1 Brill Published In Pages: ??
By White, Claire , Marin, Maya , Fessler, Daniel M.T.

Hypothesis

Small-scale societies will believe that ancestral spirits are capable of harming the living.

Note

68% of societies believe in ancestral spirits capable of harm; n=39

Test

Test NameSupportSignificanceCoefficientTail
Descriptive statisticsSupport claimedUNKNOWNUNKNOWNUNKNOWN

Variables

Variable NameVariable Type OCM Term(s)
Punitive ancestral spiritsUNKNOWNCult Of The Dead, Eschatology, Spirits And Gods