This book discusses the characteristics of adolescence cross-culturally and examines the differences in the adolescent experience for males and females. Several relationships are tested in order to gain an understanding of cross-cultural patterns in adolescence.

This study presents a psychological theory for adolescent initiation ceremonies. Findings support the hypothesis that initiation is a mechanism for maintaining continuity between the stages of childhood and adulthood, when the body is physiologically in discontinuity.

This study discusses childcare done by children. While no empirical hypotheses are tested, the authors identify some potential sociocultural and developmental correlates of childcare by children and provide relevant descriptive statistics. Possible correlates include mother-child relationships, conceptions and emergence of childhood stages, organization of play groups, development of social responsibility, sex differences, personality development, cognitive style and cognitive development, motivation and learning.

To understand transmission of knowledge and its impact on human evolution history, this study explores the research question: "How do hunter-gatherer children learn subsistence skills?". The authors use meta-ethnography methods on 34 cultures from five continents discussing these topics. The results show that the learning process starts early in infancy when their parents take them to the excursions. In middle childhood, they already acquired gathering skills. Only in the start of adolescence, adults begin teaching how to hunt and to produce complex tools. The learning process continues into adulthood.

The author tests Straus' model of wifebeating that suggests that socialization through violence (by encouraging aggression, corporal punishment and by observing violence) increases the likelihood of wifebeating. The relationship between socialization of children using violent techniques and wifebeating is tested using the Probability Sample Files.

This study examines the relationship between infant stress and early menarche. Empirical analysis suggests that stress in infancy, such as mother-infant separation and head-shaping, are associated with early menarche.

Textor summarizes cross-cultural findings on polygyny pertaining to cultural, environmental, psychological, and social phenomena.

This article tests the general hypothesis that frequency of violent crimes by individuals is related to high concentrations of wealth.

Causal factors to the development of crime are examined. Frequency of theft and personal crime are tested against these causal factors in a search for correlations.

This chapter attempts to explain why the number, importance, and duration of food and sex taboos during pregnancy vary cross-culturally. The author hypothesizes that differences in child socialization will be associated with differences in food taboos, and differences in sexual behavior and sanctions will be associated with sex taboos. Results support the hypotheses.