Parasite prevalence and the distribution of intelligence among the states of the USA

Eppig, Christopher; Fincher, Corey L.; Thornhill, Randy

doi:10.1016/j.intell.2011.02.008

Cited by 49 publications

(40 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…For example, as argued by Nettle (2009), recent hypotheses concerning relationships between parasite stress and other variables, such as intelligence, collectivism, religiosity, and ingroup investment (e.g., Eppig et al 2010;Eppig et al 2011;Fincher and Thornhill 2012;Fincher et al 2008), could be tested in a more robust manner using such datasets. Although these measures typically do not assess parasite stress directly, relevant proxies-such as self-reported health, number of doctor visits, number of infections, and outcome measures (e.g., intelligence, values)-are available.…”

Section: Cross-level Interactionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

What Can Cross-Cultural Correlations Teach Us about Human Nature?

Pollet

Tybur

Frankenhuis

et al. 2014

Hum Nat

143

111

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Many recent evolutionary psychology and human behavioral ecology studies have tested hypotheses by examining correlations between variables measured at a group level (e.g., state, country, continent). In such analyses, variables collected for each aggregation are often taken to be representative of the individuals present within them, and relationships between such variables are presumed to reflect individual-level processes. There are multiple reasons to exercise caution when doing so, including: (1) the ecological fallacy, whereby relationships observed at the aggregate level do not accurately represent individual-level processes; (2) non-independence of data points, which violates assumptions of the inferential techniques used in null hypothesis testing; and (3) cross-cultural non-equivalence of measurement (differences in construct validity between groups). We provide examples of how each of these gives rise to problems in the context of testing evolutionary hypotheses about human behavior, and we offer some suggestions for future research.Keywords Ecological fallacy . Cross-cultural research . Research methods . Simpson's paradox . Non-independence . Measurement equivalence Many hypothesis-testing techniques used by evolutionary behavioral scientists involve examining degrees of covariation between two or more variables and making inferences based on such relationships (e.g., analysis of variance, Pearson correlation). This approach may be applied to a number of different research designs that examine variation at different, hierarchically organized levels (e.g., individuals versus groups;

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Section: Cross-level Interactionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

What Can Cross-Cultural Correlations Teach Us about Human Nature?

Pollet

Tybur

Frankenhuis

et al. 2014

Hum Nat

143

111

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…These infections also reduce energy availability more directly. In research with Chris Eppig, we have shown that, both cross-nationally and across the states of the USA, parasite stress is strongly, negatively related to cognitive ability (IQ) (Eppig et al 2010(Eppig et al , 2011Chap. 11 ).…”

Section: Human-specifi C Cognitive Abilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Collectivism–Individualism, Family Ties, and Philopatry

Thornhill

Fincher

2014

The Parasite-Stress Theory of Values and Sociality

Self Cite

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“…A second example of a key third variable is parasite prevalence (a measure of biological stress caused by infectious disease; see, e.g., Eppig, Fincher, & Thornhill, 2011). Eppig et al (2011) showed that this variable uniquely predicted U.S. state IQ, even after controlling for income and educational differences across the states.…”

Section: Causalitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Differential epidemiology: IQ, neuroticism, and chronic disease by the 50 U.S. states

et al. 2012

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Current research shows that geo-political units (e.g., the 50 U.S. states) vary meaningfully on psychological dimensions like intelligence (IQ) and neuroticism (N). A new scientific discipline has also emerged, differential epidemiology, focused on how psychological variables affect health. We integrate these areas by reporting large correlations between aggregate-level IQ and N (measured for the 50 U.S. states) and state differences in rates of chronic disease (e.g., stroke, heart disease). Controlling for health-related behaviors (e.g., smoking, exercise) reduced but did not eliminate these effects. Strong relationships also existed between IQ, N, disease, and a host of other state-level variables (e.g., income, crime, education). The nexus of inter-correlated state variables could reflect a general fitness factor hypothesized by cognitive epidemiologists, although valid inferences about causality will require more research.

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Parasite prevalence and the distribution of intelligence among the states of the USA

Cited by 49 publications

References 36 publications

What Can Cross-Cultural Correlations Teach Us about Human Nature?

What Can Cross-Cultural Correlations Teach Us about Human Nature?

Collectivism–Individualism, Family Ties, and Philopatry

Differential epidemiology: IQ, neuroticism, and chronic disease by the 50 U.S. states

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