Excerpt

This volume explores the relevance of new developments in biology, genetics, and evolutionary anthropology to our understanding of human fertility behavior and family formation, under the rubric of “biodemography.” The biology of fecundity, infecundity, and contraception has long been integral to human population studies. But demographers are only beginning to assimilate findings and approaches from behavioral genetics, molecular genetics, neuro-endocrinology, and cross-species life history analysis and to place them in the context of evolutionary theory. With support from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the National Research Council's Committee on Population has brought together an interdisciplinary group to review this young field of science and reflect on promising opportunities for future research.

Contents

• THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES
• PANEL FOR THE WORKSHOP ON THE BIODEMOGRAPHY OF FERTILITY AND FAMILY BEHAVIOR
• COMMITTEE ON POPULATION (June 2000)
• Preface
• 1. Biodemography of Fertility and Family Formation
  Kenneth W. Wachter.
  • RESPONSIBLE RESEARCH
  • BEHAVIORAL GENETICS
  • NEUROSCIENCE AND ENDOCRINOLOGY
  • INTEGRATIVE BIOLOGY
  • EVOLUTIONARY ANTHROPOLOGY
  • DEMOGRAPHY
  • DIRECTIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH
  • REFERENCES
• 2. Genetic Influences on Fertility: Strengths and Limitations of Quantitative Inferences
  Michael L. Rutter.
  • VARIATIONS IN FERTILITY
  • RATIONALE OF QUANTITATIVE GENETIC RESEARCH STRATEGIES
  • RESEARCH PRIORITIES
  • ETHICAL ISSUES
  • CONCLUSIONS
  • REFERENCES
• 3. Education, Fertility, and Heritability: Explaining a Paradox
  Hans-Peter Kohler and Joseph L. Rodgers.
  • INTERPRETING BEHAVIORAL GENETICS IN RESEARCH ON FERTILITY AND RELATED BEHAVIORS
  • BEHAVIORAL GENETICS DESIGNS AND METHODS
  • EDUCATION, FERTILITY TRANSITION, AND FERTILITY OUTCOMES
  • DATA
  • MULTIVARIATE BEHAVIORAL GENETICS MODELS FOR EDUCATION AND FERTILITY
  • EDUCATION AND CHANGES IN HERITABILITIES ACROSS COHORTS
  • DISCUSSION
  • REFERENCES
• 4. The Neural Basis of Pair Bonding in a Monogamous Species: A Model for Understanding the Biological Basis of Human Behavior
  Larry J. Young.
  • THE NEUROCHEMISTRY OF THE PAIR BOND
  • NEURAL CIRCUITS OF PAIR BOND FORMATION
  • THE GENETICS OF PAIR BONDING
  • IS THE VASOPRESSIN RECEPTOR THE “MONOGAMY” GENE?
  • IMPLICATIONS FOR HUMANS
  • REFERENCES
• 5. Hormonal Mediation of Physiological and Behavioral Processes That Influence Fertility
  Judy L. Cameron.
  • HORMONES INFLUENCING REPRODUCTIVE FUNCTION AND BEHAVIOR
  • HORMONAL CHANGES THROUGH THE LIFE SPAN
  • ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE TO HORMONES
  • LIFE EVENTS THAT ALTER HORMONE LEVELS
  • SUMMARY AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS
  • REFERENCES
• 6. Intraspecific Variability in Fertility and Offspring Survival in a Nonhuman Primate: Behavioral Control of Ecological and Social Sources
  Jeanne Altmann and Susan C. Alberts.
  • INTERSPECIFIC, COMPARATIVE VARIABILITY IN MAMMALIAN LIFE HISTORIES
  • BABOON LIFE HISTORIES: LIFE HISTORY PATTERN AND VARIABILITY
  • CONCLUSIONS
  • REFERENCES
• 7. An Evolutionary and Ecological Analysis of Human Fertility, Mating Patterns, and Parental Investment
  Hillard S. Kaplan and Jane B. Lancaster.
  • THE THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
  • HUMAN LIFE HISTORIES IN A COMPARATIVE CONTEXT
  • REPRODUCTIVE BEHAVIOR SINCE THE DOMESTICATION OF PLANTS AND ANIMALS
  • CONCLUSIONS
  • REFERENCES
• 8. Sexually Antagonistic Coevolution: Theory, Evidence, and Implications for Patterns of Human Mating and Fertility
  Steven W. Gangestad.
  • EXPERIMENTAL DEMONSTRATIONS OF SEXUAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
  • A CONCEPTUALIZATION OF SEXUALLY ANTAGONISTIC ADAPTATION AND ITS IMPLICATIONS
  • THE POTENTIAL FOR SEXUALLY ANTAGONISTIC COEVOLUTION IN HUMANS
  • ILLUSTRATIONS OF ADAPTATION AND COUNTER-ADAPTATION IN HUMAN SEXUALLY ANTAGONISTIC COEVOLUTION
  • FACULTATIVE EXPRESSION OF SEXUALLY ANTAGONISTIC ADAPTATIONS IN HUMANS?
  • SUMMARY
  • REFERENCES
• 9. Pubertal Maturation, Adrenarche, and the Onset of Reproduction in Human Males
  Benjamin Campbell.
  • THE SCOPE OF MALE REPRODUCTIVE MATURATION
  • BIOLOGY OF REPRODUCTIVE MATURATION IN HUMAN MALES
  • ENERGETICS AND MALE REPRODUCTIVE MATURATION
  • EVOLUTIONARY EXPLANATIONS OF HUMAN REPRODUCTIVE MATURATION
  • BEHAVIORAL IMPLICATIONS
  • HORMONES AND ADOLESCENT SEXUAL BEHAVIOR
  • PUBERTAL MATURATION
  • RISK TAKING
  • BIOLOGICAL MODEL: INTEGRATING PUBERTAL MATURATION AND RISK TAKING
  • IMPLICATIONS FOR ADULT FERTILITY BEHAVIOR
  • CULTURAL VARIATION
  • SUMMARY
  • FUTURE RESEARCH DIRECTIONS
  • REFERENCES
• 10. Energetics, Sociality, and Human Reproduction: Life History Theory in Real Life
  Carol M. Worthman.
  • IMPORTANCE OF A BIOCULTURAL PERSPECTIVE
  • LIFE HISTORY THEORY AND ENERGETICS
  • TRANSLATION AND TRANSMISSION OF EVOLVED DESIGN
  • SOCIALITY AND MULTITASKING IN LIFE HISTORY
  • EPIGENESIS AND REARING ENVIRONMENTS
  • IMPLICATIONS FOR RESEARCH AND POLICY
  • REFERENCES
• 11. Evolutionary Biology and Rational Choice in Models of Fertility
  David Lam.
  • THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN INCOME AND FERTILITY
  • EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE FROM BRAZIL AND SOUTH AFRICA
  • QUALITY-QUANTITY TRADE-OFFS AND FERTILITY DECLINE
  • CONCLUSIONS
  • REFERENCES
• 12. Reflections on Demographic, Evolutionary, and Genetic Approaches to the Study of Human Reproductive Behavior
  John N. Hobcraft.
  • BEHAVIORAL GENETICS MODELS OF REPRODUCTION
  • PATHWAYS TO FERTILITY BEHAVIOR
  • PATHWAYS TO WHAT?
  • HOW CAN WE EXPLAIN MODERN VERY LOW FERTILITY?
  • CONCLUSION
  • REFERENCES
• Contributors and Other Workshop Participants

This study was supported by Award No. NO1-OD-4-2139, TO #71 to the National Academies from the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development. Additional funding was provided by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Suggested citation:

National Research Council. (2003). Offspring: Human Fertility Behavior in Biodemographic Perspective. Panel for the Workshop on the Biodemography of Fertility and Family Behavior. Kenneth W. Wachter and Rodolfo A. Bulatao, eds. Committeee on Population, Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organizations or agencies that provided support for the project.

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.