Abstract
In a study of the kin investment of aunts and uncles we show that the laterality effect expected as a result of paternity uncertainty is statistically reliable but somewhat smaller than the sex effect. Matrilateral aunts invest significantly more than patrilateral aunts, and the same is true for uncles. Regardless of laterality, however, aunts invest significantly more than uncles. Multivariate controls show that the matrilateral bias is fully independent of any age or distance confounds that might result from sex differences in age at marriage or dispersal. We discuss our results in relation to recent findings on the kin investment of grandparents (Euler and Weitzel 1996). In addition, we propose a simple method for estimating the level of paternity uncertainty from kin investment data; application of this method to our data on aunts and uncles suggests that between 13% and 20% of children are not the offspring of their putative father. Our parallel analyses of Euler and Weitzel’s (1996) data on grandparental investment suggest a similar estimate, that paternity uncertainty lies between 9% and 17%.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alexander, R. D. 1979 Darwinism and Human Affairs. Seattle: University of Washington Press.
Baker, R. R., and M. A. Bellis 1995 Human Sperm Competition. London: Chapman and Hall.
Christenfeld, N. J. S., and E. A. Hill 1995 Whose Baby Are You? Nature 378:669.
Daly, M., and M. Wilson 1982 Whom Are Newborn Babies Said to Resemble? Ethology and Sociobiology 3:69–78.
Euler, H., and B. Weitzel 1996 Discriminative Grandparental Solicitude as Reproductive Strategy. Human Nature 7:39–59.
Hartung, J. 1985 Matrilineal Inheritance: New Theory and Analysis. The Behavioral and Brain Sciences 8:661–688.
Hawkes, K., A. R. Rogers, and E. L. Charnov 1995 The Male’s Dilemma: Increased Offspring Production Is More Paternity to Steal. Evolutionary Ecology 9:662–677.
Hrdy, S. 1980 The Langurs of Abu: Female and Male Strategies of Reproduction. Cambridge MA: Harvard University Press.
Kurland, J. A. 1979 Paternity, Mother’s Brother and Human Sociality. In Evolutionary Biology and Human Social Behavior, N. A. Chagnon and W. Irons, eds. Pp. 145–180. North Scituate, Massachusetts: Duxbury Press.
Nesse, R. M, A. Silverman, and A. Bortz 1990 Sex differences in ability to recognize family resemblance. Ethology and Sociobiology 11:12–21.
Regalski, J. M., and S. J. C. Gaulin 1993 Whom Are Mexican Infants Said to Resemble? Monitoring and Fostering Paternal Confidence in the Yucatan. Ethology and Sociobiology 14:97–113.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Steven Gaulin is professor of anthropology at the University of Pittsburgh. Trained at UC-Berkeley and Harvard, his publications address aspects of sexual selection, cognitive ethology, and Darwinian anthropology. In collaboration with Donald McBurney, he is currently writing a textbook on evolutionary psychology.
Donald McBurney is professor of psychology at the University of Pittsburgh. His principal interest is the psychophysics of taste and smell. Current research concerns sensory adaptation as an evolutionary adaptation, with applications including long-term adaptation to the burn caused by chili peppers and self-perceived alcohol intoxication.
Stephanie Brakeman-Wartell received her B.A. in anthropology from the University of Pittsburgh, where she is now a graduate student. She is currently researching aspects of human reciprocal altruism.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Gaulin, S.J.C., McBurney, D.H. & Brakeman-Wartell, S.L. Matrilateral biases in the investment of aunts and uncles. Hum Nat 8, 139–151 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12110-997-1008-4
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12110-997-1008-4