Repository logo
 

Socioecology shapes child and adolescent time allocation in twelve hunter-gatherer and mixed-subsistence forager societies.

Simple item page
cam.issuedOnline2022-05-16
dc.contributor.authorLew-Levy, Sheina
dc.contributor.authorReckin, Rachel
dc.contributor.authorKissler, Stephen M
dc.contributor.authorPretelli, Ilaria
dc.contributor.authorBoyette, Adam H
dc.contributor.authorCrittenden, Alyssa N
dc.contributor.authorHagen, Renée V
dc.contributor.authorHaas, Randall
dc.contributor.authorKramer, Karen L
dc.contributor.authorKoster, Jeremy
dc.contributor.authorO'Brien, Matthew J
dc.contributor.authorSonoda, Koji
dc.contributor.authorSurovell, Todd A
dc.contributor.authorStieglitz, Jonathan
dc.contributor.authorTucker, Bram
dc.contributor.authorLavi, Noa
dc.contributor.authorEllis-Davies, Kate
dc.contributor.authorDavis, Helen E
dc.date.accessioned2022-05-16T16:00:42Z
dc.date.available2022-05-16T16:00:42Z
dc.date.issued2022-05-16
dc.date.submitted2021-09-13
dc.date.updated2022-05-16T16:00:41Z
dc.descriptionFunder: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology (2)
dc.description.abstractA key issue distinguishing prominent evolutionary models of human life history is whether prolonged childhood evolved to facilitate learning in a skill- and strength-intensive foraging niche requiring high levels of cooperation. Considering the diversity of environments humans inhabit, children's activities should also reflect local social and ecological opportunities and constraints. To better understand our species' developmental plasticity, the present paper compiled a time allocation dataset for children and adolescents from twelve hunter-gatherer and mixed-subsistence forager societies (n = 690; 3-18 years; 52% girls). We investigated how environmental factors, local ecological risk, and men and women's relative energetic contributions were associated with cross-cultural variation in child and adolescent time allocation to childcare, food production, domestic work, and play. Annual precipitation, annual mean temperature, and net primary productivity were not strongly associated with child and adolescent activity budgets. Increased risk of encounters with dangerous animals and dehydration negatively predicted time allocation to childcare and domestic work, but not food production. Gender differences in child and adolescent activity budgets were stronger in societies where men made greater direct contributions to food production than women. We interpret these findings as suggesting that children and their caregivers adjust their activities to facilitate the early acquisition of knowledge which helps children safely cooperate with adults in a range of social and ecological environments. These findings compel us to consider how childhood may have also evolved to facilitate flexible participation in productive activities in early life.
dc.identifier.doi10.17863/CAM.84609
dc.identifier.eissn2045-2322
dc.identifier.issn2045-2322
dc.identifier.others41598-022-12217-1
dc.identifier.other12217
dc.identifier.urihttps://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/337191
dc.languageen
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisherSpringer Science and Business Media LLC
dc.publisher.urlhttp://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-12217-1
dc.subjectAdolescent
dc.subjectBiological Evolution
dc.subjectChild
dc.subjectFamily
dc.subjectFemale
dc.subjectHumans
dc.subjectKnowledge
dc.subjectLearning
dc.subjectMale
dc.subjectSex Characteristics
dc.titleSocioecology shapes child and adolescent time allocation in twelve hunter-gatherer and mixed-subsistence forager societies.
dc.typeArticle
dcterms.dateAccepted2022-05-06
prism.issueIdentifier1
prism.publicationNameSci Rep
prism.volume12
pubs.funder-project-idSocial Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (Doctoral Scholarship 752-2016-0555)
pubs.funder-project-idAlexander von Humboldt-Stiftung (Postdoctoral Fellowship)
pubs.funder-project-idGates Cambridge Trust (Doctoral Scholarship)
pubs.funder-project-idAgence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR-17-EURE-0010)
rioxxterms.licenseref.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
rioxxterms.versionVoR
rioxxterms.versionofrecord10.1038/s41598-022-12217-1

Files

Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
Thumbnail Image
Name:
41598_2022_Article_12217.pdf
Size:
1.47 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Published version
Licence
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Download
Thumbnail Image
Name:
41598_2022_12217_MOESM1_ESM.pdf
Size:
1.8 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Published version
Licence
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Download
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
41598_2022_Article_12217_nlm.xml
Size:
225.46 KB
Format:
Extensible Markup Language
Description:
Bibliographic metadata
Licence
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Download

Collections

Jisc Publications Router