This award is for a pilot project involving two anthropology professors and one graduate student in Botswana. The project will study the economic and reproductive strategies of men in a pastoral society; interview mothers about their perceptions of sex differences in infants to try to explain a dramatic sex bias in mortality against male infants; and develop a methodology for analyzing the differences in work effort of men and women, adults and children. This pilot research is important to help the investigators develop their procedures for a large scale study of the conflict between biological goals, such as reproductive success, and culturally defined goals such as maintenance of the patrilineage. Understanding of how cultural transmission transforms biological motives is important in understanding how to maintain biological well-being.

Agency
National Science Foundation (NSF)
Institute
Division of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences (BCS)
Type
Standard Grant (Standard)
Application #
9005813
Program Officer
Stuart Plattner
Project Start
Project End
Budget Start
1990-07-01
Budget End
1991-12-31
Support Year
Fiscal Year
1990
Total Cost
$9,516
Indirect Cost
Name
Pennsylvania State University
Department
Type
DUNS #
City
University Park
State
PA
Country
United States
Zip Code
16802