Group Size

Associated Documents (9)

Main AuthorPublished YearTitle
Low, Bobbi S.Cross-cultural patterns in the training of children: an evolutionary perspective
Ember, Carol R.Residential variation among hunter-gatherers
Low, Bobbi S.Sex, coalitions, and politics in preindustrial societies
Betzig, Laura L.Despotism and differential reproduction: a cross-cultural correlation of conflict asymmetry, hie...
Atkinson, Quentin D.The cultural morphospace of ritual form: examining modes of religiosity cross-culturally
Binford, Lewis R.Mobility, housing, and environment: a comparative study
Garfield, Zachary H.Evolutionary Models of Leadership
Ray, SubhasishHistory and Ethnic Conflict: Does Precolonial Centralization Matter?
Caticha, Nestor, Calsaverini, Rafael S., Vincente, RenatoStatistical Mechanics of Social Hierarchies: A Mathematical Model for the Evolution of Human Soc...

Associated Hypotheses (10)

Main AuthorHypothesis
Low, Bobbi S.Larger social group size will be associated with training that reduces intra-group conflict (p. 313).
Ember, Carol R.". . . among hunter-gatherers, those with smaller bands or communities would tend toward bilocality, while those with larger bands or communities should be able to maintain unilocality" (218)
Low, Bobbi S.Women's overt political power will be associated with group size, mobility, sex ratio, marriage system, male absence, ability to participate with men, female contribution to subsistence, level of political sovereignty, political organization hierarchy, and geographic region (70).
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).
Atkinson, Quentin D.Emotional arousal in ritual will be negatively associated with group size, group hierarchy, and reliance on agriculture (52, 55).
Binford, Lewis R.Use of multiple alternative house forms will be associated with mobility, group size, and subsistence activity (130).
Garfield, Zachary H.Leadership will be positively associated with group size, and male leadership that emphasizes cooperative activity and sanctions free-riders who don't contribute.
Ray, SubhasishCentralized precolonial state formation will be positively associated with contemporary ethnic conflict.
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.
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).

Associated OCMs

  1. population
  2. composition of population
  3. community structure
  4. community heads
  5. territorial hierarchy
  6. chief executive