Dissertation
LIFE HISTORY THEORY WITHIN THE HUMAN NICHE: CONCEPTUAL CONUNDRUMS, COALESCING COMMENTARIES, AND A CONSIDERATION OF CULTURE
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Washington State University
01/2016
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/111904
Abstract
The evolutionary fate of humans is intimately tied to the outcomes of two questions; when and how often should we reproduce? Life history theory can account for “when” and “how often” but, as a biological theory, must be refined when applied within the cultural, economic, and political complexities of the human niche. The process of refining life history theory and method to address patterns of human reproduction frames this three-study dissertation. Addressing the nature of risk within the human niche, the first study employs structural equation modeling techniques to isolate the impacts of varying types of condition-dependent risks on teenage and total fertility rates across 191 countries. Motivating the second study is the necessary integration of life history theory into a unified theory of demography. Applying a fixed effects approach to data from 167 countries and across 40 years, this study models how the main drivers of fertility behavior interact across both space and time. The final study demonstrates the broad applicability of life history theory within the human niche through an examination of the demographic and consumption patterns fueling anthropogenic climate change. Multilevel models using data from 45,000 individuals across 75 nations are specified to determine how local risk and parental investment interact with cultural time orientations to pattern global carbon emissions. To conclude, results of the three studies are revisited to propose areas in which life history theory can continue its expansion within the human niche.
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Details
- Title
- LIFE HISTORY THEORY WITHIN THE HUMAN NICHE: CONCEPTUAL CONUNDRUMS, COALESCING COMMENTARIES, AND A CONSIDERATION OF CULTURE
- Creators
- Mark A. Caudell
- Contributors
- Robert J Quinlan (Advisor)Marsha B Quinlan (Committee Member)Thomas Rotolo (Committee Member)
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Department of Anthropology
- Theses and Dissertations
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Washington State University
- Number of pages
- 104
- Identifiers
- 99900581522901842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Dissertation