Abstract
Our study of cultural transmission in Taiwan is based on a survey of 1000 students, their families, and friends, for characters ranging from religion to various customs and beliefs, as well as entertainment and hygienic habits. The effects of father, mother, and an older sib on a propositus are tested by an additive model of transmission, using a novel statistical procedure, and compared with correlations with friends. For many traits there exist significant influences; older sibs are almost as important as father and mother, with effects differing somewhat with their sex. Formulas for recurrences and equilibrium frequency of a cultural character for which father, mother, and sib are active in transmission are given in the appendices along with formulas for estimation of their effects from real data.
Key words
cultural transmission models family TaiwanPreview
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