The cognitive ecology of Mexico: climatic and socio-cultural effects on life history strategies and cognitive abilities

Type Journal Article - Intelligence
Title The cognitive ecology of Mexico: climatic and socio-cultural effects on life history strategies and cognitive abilities
Author(s)
Volume 47
Publication (Day/Month/Year) 2014
Page numbers 63-71
URL http://www.researchgate.net/profile/Tomas_Cabeza_De_Baca/publication/266320795_The_cognitive_ecology​_of_Mexico_Climatic_and_socio-cultural_effects_on_life_history_strategies_and_cognitive_abilities/li​nks/553449910cf2f2a588b248f3.pdf
Abstract
The purpose of the present study is to test an integrated model of human ecology, which takes into
consideration variables and predictions derived from both life history and social privilege
paradigms. Population-level statistics were collected from an assortment of Mexican national
agencies on thirty-one Mexican States and the Federal District (N = 32). The integrated model of
human cognitive ecology specifically described how biodiversity impacts state-level life history
strategies and cognitive abilities in Mexico. Results from the sequential canonical cascade analysis
supported the three following hypotheses: (1) regional climatic factors affected regional life
histories; (2) both regional life histories and climatic factors affected regional levels of human
capital; and (3) both regional levels of human capital and regional climatic factors affected
regional mean cognitive abilities. The integrated model of human cognitive ecology explained a
preponderance of the pooled multivariate variance (V = .66) in cognitive abilities. Implications
and future directions within life history and intelligence research are discussed

Related studies

»