Centuries-old database reveals clues on human reproductive habits, trends
Wednesday, June 8, 2016 - 14:21
in Psychology & Sociology
When predicting future global population growth, sometimes scientists look to the past. Using a database with historical records that began in 871 A.D., an anthropologist at the University of Missouri was able to show reproductive patterns and shed new light on the "quantity-quality" trade-off, a biological concept used to describe a parent's unconscious decisions to balance between producing and the time and investing in offspring. Results from this study could help to predict future population growth and could help explain how parents allocate their time and financial resources in raising their children.