Differential K theory: The sociobiology of individual and group differences

Differential K Theory is proposed to help systematize individual and group differences in life histories, social behaviour and physiological functioning. K refers to one end of a continuum of reproductive strategies organisms can adopt, characterized by the production of very few offspring with a large investment of energy in each. At the opposite extreme is the r-strategy in which organisms produce a large number of offspring but invest little energy in any one. Between-species comparisons demonstrate that these reproductive strategies correlate with a variety of life history traits including: litter size, birth-spacing, parental care, infant mortality, developmental precocity, life span, intelligence, social organization and altruism. As a species, humans are at the K end of the continuum. Some people, however, are postulated to be more K than others. The more K a person is, the more likely he or she is to come from a smaller sized family, with a greater spacing of births, a lower incidence of DZ twinning, and more intensive parental care. Moreover, he or she will tend to be intelligent, altruistic, law-abiding, behaviourally restrained, maturationally delayed, lower in sex drive and longer lived. Thus diverse organismic characteristics, not otherwise relatable, are presumed to covary along the K dimension. Group differences are also hypothesized, such that, in terms of K: higher socio-economic > lower socio-economic; and Mongoloids > Caucasoids > Negroids.     

Sir Francis Galton, Epigenetic Rules, Genetic Similarity Theory, and Human Life-History Analysis

ABSTRACT In this article, an evolutionary perspective is applied to individual differences Among the issues discussed are ( a ) the seminal contributions of Francis Galton and the subsequent ideological reaction, ( b ) the distalproximal continuum for understanding levels of explanation in social behavior, ( c ) consistent patterns of group differences in behavior (age, sex, social class, and race), ( d ) the heritability of personality and the role epigenetic rules play in guiding development in one direction over alternatives, ( e ) the genetic similarity theory perspective on friendship and mate choice, and ( f ) the view that personality is part of an r-K reproductive strategy involving a compensatory exchange between the production of gametes and parental care It is suggested in conclusion that personality traits be considered aspects of a coordinated life cycle deeply embedded in evolutionary history     

A note on verisimilitude and relativization to problems

This note aims at critically assessing a little-noticed proposal made by Popper in the second edition ofObjective Knowledge to the effect that verisimilitude of scientific theories should be made relative to the problems they deal with. Using a simple propositional calculus formalism, it is shown that the relativized definition fails for the very same reason why Popper's original concept of verisimilitude collapsed-only if one of two theories is true can they be compared in terms of the suggested definition of versimilitude.This note was written when the author was visiting the Groupe de Recherche en Épistémologie Comparative (Université du Québec à Montréal).     

Dissociation between Categorical and Coordinate Spatial Computations: Modulation by Cerebral Hemispheres, Task Properties, Mode of Response, and Age

Kosslyn suggested a dissociation of two kinds of spatial representations: categorical and coordinate, the former computed by the left hemisphere and the latter by the right hemisphere. In addition, with practice, a “categorization” of the coordinate computation would appear. These suggestions resulted largely from an experiment, replicated by others, in which the subjects had to estimate the relative position of a dot and a line by giving an oral response, and feedback was provided. The present series of five experiments was an attempt to test whether this finding could be generalized, under several methodological manipulations, some of which have already been used by researchers in separate studies. In the five experiments, accuracy was a more contributive dependent variable than correct latencies, and practice effects on the task × field interaction were not verified. Experiments 1–3 concerned the kind of response. When a manual instead of an oral response was required (Experiment 1;n= 32 Ss), the expected dissociation was observed (as well as when the latency of responses made by the right hand were studied). When the number of oral responses was increased from two (a binary choice) to eight, the dissociation was still observed for accuracy but disappeared when a more liberal criterion of accuracy was used to reduce the considerable task effect (Experiment 2;n= 32 Ss), or when response requirements were equated for both tasks (Experiment 3;n= 32 Ss). In Experiment 4 (n= 32 Ss), a manual response was called but the feedback was removed and the task dissociation disappeared. Finally, the task dissociation observed in Experiment 1 was not verified when a sample of elderly subjects was enrolled (Experiment 5;n= 32 Ss). However, age per se was the source of an interesting additional dissociation since only the coordinate computation was age sensitive. Our results suggest that the dissociation proposed by Kosslyn between the computation of categorical vs coordinate spatial relationships is highly unstable and sensitive to subtle methodological factors (vocal vs manual response, presence vs absence of feedback, binary vs “continous” response, age) which could preclude its general application.     

The equalitarian dogma revisited

Henry Garrett (1961), a president of the American Psychological Association, claimed that “the equalitarian dogma,” the belief that Blacks and Whites are genetically equal in cognitive ability, was the “scientific hoax of the century.” Since then, the dogma has become more ingrained, despite increased contrary evidence. The dogma has been perpetuated by intimidation as well as by pious thinking. Its long endurance is a scandal of great proportion and illuminates how science works, and sometimes does not. I discuss (a) current international data on race differences; (b) their genetic and evolutionary origins; (c) political fallout from my presentations; (d) corruption of scholarship that has occurred, illustrated partly by the example of Cyril Burt; and (e) what should be done to improve matters.