Social Complexity

Associated Documents (30)

Main AuthorPublished YearTitle
Ishii-Kuntz, MasakoStatus of the elderly: an extension of the theory
Schaefer, James MichaelA comparison of three measures of social complexity
Schaefer, James MichaelA hologeistic study of family structure and sentiment, supernatural beliefs, and drunkenness
Jankowiak, WilliamIndividual and societal response to sexual betrayal: a view from around the world
Goethals, George W.Factors affecting permissive and nonpermissive rules regarding premarital sex
Jankowiak, WilliamExtra-marital affairs: a reconsideration of the meaning and universality of the "double standard"
Jankowiak, WilliamManaging infidelity: a cross-cultural perspective
Ball, Donald W.The scaling of gaming: skill, strategy, and chance
Kang, Gay ElizabethThe nature of exogamy in relation to cross-allegiance/alliance of social units
Fry, Douglas P.Social organization matters!
Ember, MelvinFear of disasters as an engine of history: resource crises, warfare, and interpresonal aggression
Erchak, Gerald M.Societal isolation, violent norms, and gender relations: a reexamination and extension of levins...
Greenbaum, LenoraCross-cultural study of the use of elections for selection of the village headman
Lomax, AlanSong as a measure of culture
Lomax, AlanSocial solidarity
Roberts, John M.Games in culture
Gorney, RodericCultural determinants of achievement, aggression, and psychological distress
Hays, David G.Color term salience
Jankowiak, WilliamIs the romantic-sexual kiss a near human universal?
Simmons, Leo W.The role of the aged in primitive society
Lomax, AlanFolk song style and culture
Udy, Stanley H., Jr.Work in traditional and modern society
Zelman, Elizabeth CrouchWomen's rights and women's rites: a cross-cultural study of womanpower
Textor, Robert B.A Cross-Cultural Summary: Hunter-Gatherers
Shenk, Mary K.When does matriliny fail? The frequencies and causes of transitions to and from matriliny estima...
Lightner, Aaron D.Moralistic supernatural punishment is probably not associated with social complexity
Pierro, RacheleLocal knowledge and practice in disaster relief: A worldwide cross-cultural comparison of coping...
Jackson, Joshua ConradSupernatural explanations across 114 societies are more common for natural than social phenomena
Rácz, PéterPossession trance covaries with measures of social rigidity in the Ethnographic Atlas
Whitehouse, HarveyRETRACTED: Complex societies precede moralizing gods throughout world history

Associated Hypotheses (54)

Main AuthorHypothesis
Ishii-Kuntz, MasakoSocial complexityas measured by economy is positively associated with status of the elderly (413, 418)
Schaefer, James MichaelNaroll's Social Development Index, Freeman's Scale, and Marsh's Index of Differentiation tend to measure the same developmental variable in ranking social complexity.
Schaefer, James Michael"The correlations between social complexity and drunkenness are . . . in the predicted [negative] direction" (179)
Jankowiak, WilliamThere will be a significant difference between social complexity and the use of self help tactics in response to infidelity (3).
Jankowiak, WilliamThere will be a positive relationship between social complexity and the frequency in which men and women appeal to higher authorities (3).
Goethals, George W.As societies become more complex, rules against premarital sex become more restrictive" (17).
Jankowiak, WilliamMen and women in egalitarian societies will be more likely to use self-help tactics in response to infidelity than men and women in stratified societies (9).
Jankowiak, WilliamThere will be a positive relationship between social complexity and the frequency with which men and women appeal to higher authorities as a response to infidelity (9).
Jankowiak, WilliamMen and women will be more likely to use self-help tactics in response to infidelity than men and women in stratified societies (91).
Jankowiak, WilliamThere will be a positive relationship between social complexity and the frequency with which men and women appeal to higher authorities (91).
Ball, Donald W.Social complexity will be positively related to game complexity (290).
Kang, Gay ElizabethIn a subsample of societies with either high social complexity or low social complexity, exogamy will be positively associated with cross-allegiance/ alliance between exogamous groups (262).
Fry, Douglas P.Complex and equestrian hunter-gatherers will make war, most simple hunter-gatherers will not (104).
Ember, MelvinSocial complexity will be positively associated with frequency of warfare (8).
Erchak, Gerald M.Societal complexity will not be related to wife beating (115).
Greenbaum, LenoraThere will be a significant relationship between social complexity and methods used for selection of local headman (49).
Lomax, Alan". . . as far as songs are concerned, there is a distinct [positive] relationship between [social complexity, and] explicitness, the number of consonantal distinctions used, and the location of these distinctions in the mid- and front-enunciatory regions" (146).
Lomax, AlanSocial complexity is positively associated with the following characteristics of song styles: wordiness, precision of articulation, explicitness, and narrow melodic intervals (128-137).
Lomax, Alan"The incidence of orchestral unison and one beat orchestral rhythm decreases with complexity. . . . The two most complex forms of organization of orchestral rhythm, counterpoint and heterophony [are] strongly associated with complex modes of production" (138, 139).
Lomax, Alan"Overlap [between singing chorus and leader] is especially marked at the middle levels [of subsistence] whereas . . . explicit solo maintains a steady increase across the [subsistence] scale" (159).
Lomax, Alan"Game producers, irrigationalists, and nomadic pastoralists seldom sing cohesively. Some incipient producers, collectors, and plow agriculturalists employ good blend some of the time. The gardeners …usually sing cohesively" (176).
Lomax, Alan"Increasing complexity tends to normalize voice qualities…nasalized tone and narrow…tone…[have a strong] negative relationship to good vocal blend" (193).
Zelman, Elizabeth CrouchFemale pollution ritual tends will be associated with societal complexity, low female contribution to subsistence, low female status, unilineal kinship and extended families (170).
Roberts, John M."[There is a] relationship between games of strategy and social complexity . . ." (601)
Gorney, RodericInterpersonal intensity and competition will be positively associated with achievement (indexed by social complexity), aggression, and psychological distress, as well as with one another (453).
Gorney, RodericAchievement will not be associated with aggression, psychological distress, or social synergy (453).
Gorney, RodericSocieties with high levels of social synergy in combination with equivalent levels of interpersonal intensity and competition, will not have lower levels of achievement (453).
Hays, David G.The number of color terms in a society's language is strongly correlated with its level of social complexity (1118)
Jankowiak, WilliamThere will be a relationship between the romantic-sexual kiss and social complexity.
Simmons, Leo W.Aged men had more success in marrying younger women in patriarchal societies, among herders, and more advance societies (211-212)
Simmons, Leo W."In short, organized priesthood appears as a product of more complex and highly developed social systems, and it is in these that the aged have found the best opportunities for the exercise of priestly functions"
Simmons, Leo W."Finally, with advancing economy, greater complexity and integration of social organization, and with a general improvement in societal stability the aged have tended to enjoy a steadily rising enhancement of status in civil and political affairs" (130)
Lomax, Alan"Game producers, irrigationists, and nomadic pastoralists seldom sing cohesively. Some incipient producers, collectors, and plow agriculturalists employ good blend some of the time. The gardeners . . . usually sing cohesively" (176)
Lomax, Alan"Increasing complexity tends to normalize voice qualities. . . . Nasalized tone and narrow . . . tone . . . [have a strong] negative relationship to good vocal blend" (193)
Udy, Stanley H., Jr."With preindustrial social development comes a progressive decline in the prevalence of production determined work organization, and a progressive increase in the prevalence of socially determined work organization" (35-36)
Udy, Stanley H., Jr.The prevailing type of social base is related to the state of social development. Familial work organization receives its greatest relative impetus with the advent of sedentary agriculture. Specialized political units receive their greatest impetus with centralized government when they displace familial forms and gain control over resources (41-42)
Udy, Stanley H., Jr.In preindustrial societies social development produces a trend toward increasingly less efficient manpower allocation (45)
Udy, Stanley H., Jr."Preindustrial social development brings increasing continuous types of technology . . . [however] relatively little continous constant work emerges" (47)
Udy, Stanley H., Jr."Social development . . . results independently in decreased rationality for production determined and political forms and increased rationality for familial and contractual forms" (56)
Udy, Stanley H., Jr.". . . social development results in increasingly less efficient forms . . . of authority structure" (51)
Udy, Stanley H., Jr.". . . traditional social development involves a trend away from work requiring undivided attention . . ." (53)
Udy, Stanley H., Jr.". . . change from one stage to another . . . [of social complexity] . . . does not mean that the forms of work characteristic of the preceding stage cease to exist. . . . The pattern of change is more that of a cumulative scale than a series of transformations" (77)
Whitehouse, HarveyRETRACTED: There is an association between moral gods and social complexity (227).
Whitehouse, HarveyRETRACTED: Contrary to the Moral High Gods hypothesis, complex societies precede moralizing gods (227).
Whitehouse, HarveyRETRACTED: Contrary to the Moral Gods Hypothesis, complex societies precede broad supernatural punishment of moral transgressions (227).
Textor, Robert B.Hunter-gatherers tend to have lower social complexity (51,91).
Shenk, Mary K.Transitions away from matriliny are positively associated with increased social complexity, markers of colonialism, and subsistence transitions towards pastoralism, intensive agriculture, or a market economy.
Lightner, Aaron D.The presence of moralizing gods is underestimated in societies with less social complexity.
Pierro, RacheleMore societally complex societies will have more coping mechanisms.
Pierro, RacheleMore societally complex societies have more religious coping mechanisms.
Pierro, RacheleMore societally complex societies have more technological coping mechanisms.
Jackson, Joshua ConradSocial complexity is positively associated with the supernatural explanations of social phenomena.
Jackson, Joshua ConradSocial complexity is negatively associated with the supernatural explanations of natural phenomena.
Rácz, PéterThe prevalence of possession trance is correlated with measures of social complexity, rigidity, and separation in gender participation.

Associated OCMs

  1. population
  2. sociocultural trends
  3. records
  4. writing
  5. agriculture
  6. diet
  7. bone, horn, and shell technology
  8. settlement patterns
  9. medium of exchange
  10. occupational specialization
  11. land transport
  12. social stratification
  13. castes
  14. classes
  15. slavery
  16. residence
  17. territorial organization
  18. territorial hierarchy
  19. form and rules of government