The association between hunting and sign language is examined. It is hypothesized that sign language develops as a form of nonverbal communication to aid hunters in the coordinated stalking of game. Ethnographic evidence supports this hypothesis. A second hypothesis is also tested concerning the relationship between population size and non-verbal communication, however sampling procedures provided an inadequate test of this hypothesis.

This article conducts a cross-cultural, comparative review of whether birds are bearers of signs using eHRAF World Cultures and published articles. The researchers first examine whether birds are thought of as signifiers and the mode of sign delivery be it voice, presence, or behavior. They also investigate whether biocultural salience is more indicative of passerines, near-passerines, or non-passerines.

This article conducts a cross-cultural, comparative review of whether birds are bearers of signs using eHRAF World Cultures and published articles. The researchers first examine whether birds are thought of as signifiers and the mode of sign delivery be it voice, presence, or behavior. They also investigate whether biocultural salience is more indicative of passerines, near-passerines, or non-passerines.

This book examines the difference between warless and warlike societies and attempts to determine the point at which a society becomes warlike. The author suggests that differences between warless and warlike societies are mostly organizational and hypothesizes that "unsegmented" societies, or societies that have a weaker sense of group identity and cohesion, will be more likely to be warless than "segmented" societies. Several tests are presented. Results generally support the hypothesis.

This article examined the presence of ostensive-communicative behaviors in educational storytelling within foraging cultures. Ostensive communication includes prosody and gestures used to direct attention to something or someone. The author analyzed 14 behaviors of ostensive communication and tested whether they co-occur with the transmission of knowledge in storytelling. All 53 forager cultures examined demonstrated the use of 2 or more of those communicative behaviors in oral storytelling. This supports the author’s claim of ostensive-communicative behavior as a universal pedagogical tool in forager cultures.

This study investigates the causes of creative florescences in certain time periods in certain societies. Wealth, geographical expansion, democratic support, and external challenge were not significant predictors of creative florescence, but political fragmentation shows a correlation with society’s creativity level.

The purpose of this article is to examine circumcision and segregation of males at puberty. It is suggested that when the son has insufficient contact with his father due to the separation caused by polygynous relationships, the son may develop a feminine personality. The significance of this is compared with the significance of a close mother-son relationship.

This book examines the characteristics of warlike and warless foraging societies, as well as the transitional stages that occur when a society becomes warlike. Several predicted correlates of warfare frequency are supported.

This article posits a theory of social evolution based on agriculture. The author suggests that a society’s energy source, type of tool materials, and systems of agriculture constitute a variable cluster, and that they are associated with societal scale, economic differentiation, and mode of political integration. Empirical analysis supports this neoevolutionary theory of agriculture.

This study focuses on the factors associated with the development and persistence of an ideology of male supremacy. Authors identify several realms of culture that show a clear male preference and suggest that warfare is the most significant cause of the male supremacy complex in preindustrial societies. Authors hypothesize that warfare will be positively related to female infanticide. Results support this hypothesis. Another hypothesis relating diet to warfare and infanticide is provided, but not tested.