Melvin Ember
Biographic Data
| ID | 78187 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Melvin Ember |
| GIVEN NAMES | Melvin |
| FAMILY NAME | Ember |
| SIGNATURE | EMBER M |
| AFFILIATIONS | Yale University |
| VERIFIED | No |
| TOTAL WORKS | 84 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 1040 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 74 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 10 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1959 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2014 |
| H-INDEX | 18 |
Anthropology
Explains how and why human cultures vary so greatly across space and time ... Anthropology, provides students with a comprehensive and scientific introduction to the holistic four fields of anthropology and the important role of applied anthropology. Readers will understand humans in all their variety, and why such variety exists. It also show students how anthropological skill sets can be applied beyond academia. The fourteenth edition places an…
Encyclopedia of Prehistory: Volume 7
Encyclopedia of Prehistory: Volume 8
Encyclopedia of Prehistory: Volume 6
Encyclopedia of Prehistory: Volume 1
Encyclopedia of Prehistory: Volume 2
Encyclopedia of Prehistory: Volume 4
Explaining Male Initiation Ceremonies: New Cross-Cultural Tests and a Catalytic Model
This cross-cultural study compares two different explanations of male initiation ceremonies: John Whiting and colleagues' theory that initiation rites function to resolve psychological conflict and Melvin Ember's theory that male initiation ceremonies provide basic army training in nonstate societies. Although bivariate results suggest support for John Whiting's, but not Ember's, theory, a reconsideration of Beatrice Whiting's theorizing about th…
Testing Adaptational Explanations of Culture: The Utility of eHRAF World Cultures and eHRAF Archaeology
Comparing Explanations of Polygyny
Polygyny is common in the ethnographic record. The vast majority of cultures known to anthropology allowed at least some men to have more than one wife simultaneously. This article compares various explanations of nonsororal polygyny, by far the most common type of polygyny. Multiple regression analyses of data for the societies in the Standard Cross-Cultural Sample indicate that the two main independent cross-cultural predictors of appreciable (…
Encyclopedia of Diasporas: Immigrant and Refugee Cultures Around the World. Volume I : Overviews and Topics; Volume II
War and the Socialization of Children: Comparing Two Evolutionary Models
This article presents two evolutionary models that may explain relationships between war, socialization, and other kinds of violence. One model derives from the perspective suggesting that reproductive strategy is contingent on environmental variation; the other model derives from a number of studies conducted by Carol and Melvin Ember. In this article, the authors focus particularly on the causes and consequences of low father salience. They spe…
Modeling State Origins Using Cross-Cultural Data
The emergence of states has been a focal concern of archaeology for many years. Although comparative methods have played a significant role in these approaches, controlled comparisons employing large samples of cases and multivariate statistical methods of analysis have been rare. The authors follow up on a previous article by employing multivariate data coded for a large sample of archaeological cases and a variety of statistical methods to empi…
Rejoinder to Munroe and Fought's Commentary
Climate, Econiche, and Sexuality: Influences on Sonority in Language
Previous cross-cultural research by Robert Munroe and colleagues has linked two features of language to warm climates-a higher proportion of consonant-vowel syllables and a higher proportion of sonorous (more audible) sounds. The underlying theory is that people in warmer climates communicate at a distance more often than people in colder climates, and it is adaptive to use syllables and sounds that are more easily heard and recognized at a dista…
Cross-Cultural Research as a Rosetta Stone for Discovering the Original Homelands of Protolanguage Groups
This programmatic article describes how the two types of cross-cultural research (comparative ethnography and comparative archaeology) can provide a Rosetta stone to help us discover the original homelands of protolanguage groups. Here, the focus is on Proto-Afroasiatic and Proto-Indo-European. If words reconstructed by historical linguists for a protolanguage reflect cultural and environmental features, and if those features have material or arc…
Valuing thinness or fatness in women
Encyclopedia of Diasporas: Immigrant and Refugee Cultures Around the World
Immigration is a topic that is as important among anthropologists as it is the general public. Almost every culture has experienced adaptation and assimilation when immigrating to a new country and cu
Explaining Corporal Punishment of Children: A Cross-Cultural Study
Corporal punishment of children is a frequent child-training technique in many societies in the ethnographic record. In other societies it is infrequent or rare. Using a worldwide sample of largely preindustrial societies in this article, we test previous and new theories that might explain the variation. Our multiple regression analyses indicate that frequent corporal punishment of children is predicted by higher levels of social stratification …
Encyclopedia of Sex and Gender
Encyclopedia of Medical Anthropology: Health and Illness in the World’s Cultures Volume I: Topics Volume II: Cultures
Medical practitioners and the ordinary citizen are becoming more aware that we need to understand cultural variation in medical belief and practice. The more we know how health and disease are managed
Authors’ Responses
Predicting the Future State of the World Using Archaeological Data: An Exercise in Archaeomancy
The authors used data coded on all 289 cases in the Outline of Archaeological Traditions, a sampling universe developed by the Human Relations Area Files for comparative archaeological research, to predict future values of political integration. The authors found that political integration has increased during the past 12,000 years following a quadratic curve. Although there are potential methodological and theoretical problems with the analyses,…
Universal Patterns in Cultural Evolution: An Empirical Analysis Using Guttman Scaling
We test for universal patterns in cultural evolution by Guttman scaling on two different worldwide samples of archaeological traditions and on well-known archaeological sequences. The evidence is generally consistent with universal evolutionary sequences. We also present evidence for some punctuated evolutionary events
Encyclopedia of Prehistory: Volume 8: South and Southwest Asia
The Conditions Favoring Matrilocal Versus Patrilocal Residence
This paper describes the results of a series of cross-cultural tests of several different explanations of matrilocal versus patrilocal residence. The first explanation tested was the traditional assumption that division of labor determines residence. The results did not support that assumption. The results of other tests suggest rather that patrilocal residence is favored by internal warfare, whether or not such warfare interferes with a normally…
Resource Unpredictability, Mistrust, and War: A Cross-Cultural Study
The results of this cross-cultural study suggest that war may be caused mostly by a fear of nature and a partially resultant fear of others. A history of unpredictable natural disasters strongly predicts more war, as does socialization for mistrust (but less strongly). It seems that people, particularly in nonstate societies, may try to protect themselves against future disasters by going to war to take resources from enemies
Encyclopedia of Cultural Anthropology (Henry Holt Reference Book) Four Volumes
Peace Between Participatory Polities: A Cross-Cultural Test of the "Democracies Rarely Fight Each Other" Hypothesis
Evidence is accumulating that, in the modern international system, democracies rarely fight each other. But the reasons for the phenomenon are not well understood. This article explores a similar phenomenon in other societies, using cross-cultural ethnographic evidence. It finds that polities organized according to more participatory ("democratic") principles fight each other less often than do polities organized according to hierarchical princip…
On Ethnic Unit Classification [and Comments and Reply]
This paper discusses the general concept of the basic culture-bearing unit and proposes a new definition-the cultunit. This proposal is a response to the need for units of cross-cultural surveys to be comparable and to be rigorously defined if these studies are to be validated statistically. Such anthropologists as Schapera, Berndt, Whiting, Evans-Pritchard, Reichard, Radcliffe-Brown, Fortes, Ember, Murdock, Nadel, Leach and Driver have given muc…
Warfare, Aggression, and Resource Problems: Cross-Cultural Codes
This paper presents and discusses codes for the Murdock/White (1969) sample societies. The codes measure warfare frequencies (internal, external, and overall); land and nonland resources taken during war; individual and socially organized aggression (homicide, assault, theft, trespass, suicide); and unpredictable and pre dictable resource problems
War, Socialization, and Interpersonal Violence: A Cross-Cultural Study
This cross-cultural study investigates why some societies have more interpersonal violence (homicide, assault) than others. Multiple regression analysis suggests that socialization for aggression in boys in late childhood is by far the strongest socialization predictor of higher rates of homicide and assault. But why socialize boys for aggression? Other analyses suggest that socialization for aggression is a likely consequence, not a cause, of wa…
An Archaeological Indicator of Matrilocal versus Patrilocal Residence
The growing willingness among archaeologists to draw inferences about cultural behavior is offset by the almost total lack of research that shows how ethnographic and archaeological phenomena are correlated. If ethnologists and archaeologists are to do complementary research on the same problems of cultural process and variation, we must try to explore, systematically and comparatively, how the behavioral and material realms may be correlated. Th…
Worldwide cross-cultural studies and their relevance for archaeology
Explaining Corporal Punishment of Children: A Cross-Cultural Study
Corporal punishment of children is a frequent child-training technique in many societies in the ethnographic record. In other societies it is infrequent or rare. Using a worldwide sample of largely preindustrial societies in this article, we test previous and new theories that might explain the variation. Our multiple regression analyses indicate that frequent corporal punishment of children is predicted by higher levels of social stratification …
The Relationship between Economic and Political Development in Nonindustrialized Societies
Statistical Evidence for an Ecological Explanation of Warfare
On the Conditions Favoring Extended Family Households
This paper suggests that extended family households will come to prevail in a society when there are incompatible activity requirements that cannot be met by a mother or father in a one-family household. We discuss why we think that the extended family household is a more likely solution to the problem of incompatible activity requirements than other logically possible solutions. A cross-cultural test indicates that the hypothesis about incompati…
On the Development of Unilineal Descent
This paper describes the reasoning and results of cross-cultural research on the conditions that may lead to the emergence of unilineal descent and some of the major variations thereof. We suggest that the presence of warfare in conjunction with a unilocal pattern of residence may be the impetus for the formation of unilineal descent groups, and that the kind of warfare which is present together with demographic factors may determine the particul…
Mighty Sifts: A Critical Appraisal of Solutions to Galton's Problem and a Partial Solution [and Comments and Replies]
Galton's problem arises from historical connection between societies, which makes the canon of statistical independence inapplicable. The resulting indeterminacy of sample size renders standard tests of statistical significance also inapplicable. In addition, replication might bias results. Seven solutions to Galton's problem have been previously offered, and we have found all of them invalid. Three of them suffer from what we have termed the "sy…
An Empirical Test of Galton's Problem
Sampling in Cross-Cultural Research
Size of Color Lexicon: Interaction of Cultural and Biological Factors
Evidence and Science in Ethnography: Reflections on the Freeman-Mead Controversy
The Conditions Favoring Multilocal Residence
This paper investigates the conditions under which multilocal residence (where a married couple lives part of the year with the husband's family and part with the wife's family) is likely to occur. A cross-cultural study revealed that multilocal residence is significantly associated with a combination of internal warfare and patrilocal residence. Multilocal residence is interpreted as a compromise residence rule that reduces the disruptive effect…
Universal Patterns in Cultural Evolution: An Empirical Analysis Using Guttman Scaling
We test for universal patterns in cultural evolution by Guttman scaling on two different worldwide samples of archaeological traditions and on well-known archaeological sequences. The evidence is generally consistent with universal evolutionary sequences. We also present evidence for some punctuated evolutionary events
The Nonunilinear Descent Groups of Samoa1
Male-Fenlale Bonding: A Cross-Species Study of Mammals and Birds
This paper describes a new way of testing adaptational theories about species-wide traits. The major concern here is why nearly all human so cieties have had the custom of marriage. Data from a random sample of mammal and bird species are used to test several possible explanations of marriage (viewed cross-specifically as male-female bonding). The results suggest that male-female bonding may be selectively favored in humans and other animals when…
On the Origin and Extension of the Incest Taboo
This paper presents new evidence and a model which are consistent with the theory that the prohibition of familial mating became universal and may have originated because of the problem of inbreeding. The new evi dence has to do with why the incest taboo may be extended to first cousins; of all the available theories, only that of inbreeding seems to explain the cross-cultural variation in cousin marriage. The model described here gen erates esti…
Testing Theory and Why the "Units of Analysis" Problem Is Not a Problem
This article discusses why comparison is possible and why theory needs to be tested universally. It discusses why worldwide results are likely to be more generally valid (and more useful practically) than more limited comparisons, and certainly more generalizable or trustworthy than single-case analyses or theory that has never been tested. Answers are provided for the main objections to worldwide research: the supposed incomparability of cultura…
The Nonunilinear Descent Groups of Samoa1
Political Authority and the Structure of Kinship in Aboriginal Samoa1
R eply to H olmes
The Relationship between Economic and Political Development in Nonindustrialized Societies
General and Ethnology: Pacific Port Towns and Cities: A Symposium . A lexander S poehr (ed.)
On Ethnic Unit Classification [and Comments and Reply]
This paper discusses the general concept of the basic culture-bearing unit and proposes a new definition-the cultunit. This proposal is a response to the need for units of cross-cultural surveys to be comparable and to be rigorously defined if these studies are to be validated statistically. Such anthropologists as Schapera, Berndt, Whiting, Evans-Pritchard, Reichard, Radcliffe-Brown, Fortes, Ember, Murdock, Nadel, Leach and Driver have given muc…
R eply to F reeman: A R ejoinder
General and Ethnology: Incest: The Nature and Origin of the Taboo. Emile Durkheim
Ethnology: The Transition from Childhood to Adolescence: Cross-Cultural Studies of Initiation Ceremonies, Legal Systems, and Incest Taboos. Yehudi Cohen
Samoan Kinship and Political Structure: An Archeological Test to Decide Between the Two Alternative Reconstructions1 (Ember's vs. Freeman's)
General: A Cross‐Cultural Summary. Robert B. Textor
An Empirical Test of Galton's Problem
The Conditions Favoring Matrilocal Versus Patrilocal Residence
This paper describes the results of a series of cross-cultural tests of several different explanations of matrilocal versus patrilocal residence. The first explanation tested was the traditional assumption that division of labor determines residence. The results did not support that assumption. The results of other tests suggest rather that patrilocal residence is favored by internal warfare, whether or not such warfare interferes with a normally…
The Conditions Favoring Multilocal Residence
This paper investigates the conditions under which multilocal residence (where a married couple lives part of the year with the husband's family and part with the wife's family) is likely to occur. A cross-cultural study revealed that multilocal residence is significantly associated with a combination of internal warfare and patrilocal residence. Multilocal residence is interpreted as a compromise residence rule that reduces the disruptive effect…
An Archaeological Indicator of Matrilocal versus Patrilocal Residence
The growing willingness among archaeologists to draw inferences about cultural behavior is offset by the almost total lack of research that shows how ethnographic and archaeological phenomena are correlated. If ethnologists and archaeologists are to do complementary research on the same problems of cultural process and variation, we must try to explore, systematically and comparatively, how the behavioral and material realms may be correlated. Th…
Kinship Studies in the Morgan Centennial Year. PRISCILLA Reining
Warfare, Sex Ratio, and Polygyny
The Conditions That May Favor Avunculocal Residence
This paper presents a theory that may account for avunculocal resi dence. It is suggested that only those previously matrilocal and matri lineal societies which are subject to a high male mortality rate when they switch to fighting internally will develop avunculocality. There is some cross-cultural evidence consistent with the sequence suggested
On the Development of Unilineal Descent
This paper describes the reasoning and results of cross-cultural research on the conditions that may lead to the emergence of unilineal descent and some of the major variations thereof. We suggest that the presence of warfare in conjunction with a unilocal pattern of residence may be the impetus for the formation of unilineal descent groups, and that the kind of warfare which is present together with demographic factors may determine the particul…
On the Origin and Extension of the Incest Taboo
This paper presents new evidence and a model which are consistent with the theory that the prohibition of familial mating became universal and may have originated because of the problem of inbreeding. The new evi dence has to do with why the incest taboo may be extended to first cousins; of all the available theories, only that of inbreeding seems to explain the cross-cultural variation in cousin marriage. The model described here gen erates esti…
Mighty Sifts: A Critical Appraisal of Solutions to Galton's Problem and a Partial Solution [and Comments and Replies]
Galton's problem arises from historical connection between societies, which makes the canon of statistical independence inapplicable. The resulting indeterminacy of sample size renders standard tests of statistical significance also inapplicable. In addition, replication might bias results. Seven solutions to Galton's problem have been previously offered, and we have found all of them invalid. Three of them suffer from what we have termed the "sy…
On the Conditions Favoring Extended Family Households
This paper suggests that extended family households will come to prevail in a society when there are incompatible activity requirements that cannot be met by a mother or father in a one-family household. We discuss why we think that the extended family household is a more likely solution to the problem of incompatible activity requirements than other logically possible solutions. A cross-cultural test indicates that the hypothesis about incompati…
Size of Color Lexicon: Interaction of Cultural and Biological Factors
Male-Fenlale Bonding: A Cross-Species Study of Mammals and Birds
This paper describes a new way of testing adaptational theories about species-wide traits. The major concern here is why nearly all human so cieties have had the custom of marriage. Data from a random sample of mammal and bird species are used to test several possible explanations of marriage (viewed cross-specifically as male-female bonding). The results suggest that male-female bonding may be selectively favored in humans and other animals when…
Psychosexual Predictors of the Gender of Objective Nouns in French: An Exploratory Study
Sociology (52 works) · History (37 works) · Computer Science (31 works) · Anthropology (27 works) · Library science (23 works) · Political science (22 works) · History (21 works) · Law (21 works) · Geography (20 works) · Citation (18 works)