Neglected Natural Experiments Germane to the Westermarck Hypothesis : The Karo Batak and the Oneida Community.

Karo Batak Cousin Marriage, Cosocialization, and the Westermarck Hypothesis

Among the Karo Batak of North Sumatra, Indonesia, marriages between matrilateral cross cousins (impal) are the ideal, yet rarely occur. Further, ethnographic accounts reveal a stated aversion to impal marriage. These observations are consistent with Westermarck’s “negative imprinting” hypothesis if impal are cosocialized. We present analyses of postmarital residence patterns from two studies of...

Neglected Natural Experiments Germane to the Westermarck Hypothesis

Severing the bonds of love: a case study in soul loss.

Karo Batak ceremonial curing practices in urban Indonesia take place in a disputed zone of acts and meanings, in which neither social nor cultural coherence can be presumed by the analyst. Examining the therapeutic efforts of an urban Karo spirit possession cult aimed at curing the soul loss suffered by a young man, the Christian son of one of the cult's premier spirit mediums, this paper quest...

Access to Resources Shapes Maternal Decision Making: Evidence from a Factorial Vignette Experiment

The central assumption of behavioral ecology is that natural selection has shaped individuals with the capacity to make decisions that balance the fitness costs and benefits of behavior. A number of factors shape the fitness costs and benefits of maternal care, but we lack a clear understanding how they, taken together, play a role in the decision-making process. In animal studies, the use of e...

Alveolar Echinococcosis (AE) :An Important Neglected Foodborne Pathogen Threatening Community Health

Alveolar echinococcosis (AE) caused by Echinococcus multilocularis can infect humans as a dead-end host. They matured in canid’s intestine (e.g. foxes, jackals, wolves, dogs, cats, etc.). AE is seen across the world. It has a high prevalence in the central and northern parts of Europe, North America and Asia. The prevalence of AE was low in the past, even in hyper endemic regions. But in ...