Abstract
A re-analysis of the relationship between “parasite stress†and authoritarianism
Highlights
This paper is a commentary on Murray et al (2013) where, alongside other findings, data from two cross-cultural samples, supporting a positive relationship between pathogen prevalence and authoritarianism are presented
This commentary is not a theoretical critique. Nor is it a methodological critique of work on pathogen stress (e.g., Currie and Mace, 2012; Pollet, 2013; Pollet et al, in press). The goal of this brief commentary is to re-analyze the data with an alternative technique to examine whether the original conclusions are upheld, the claim that indices of pathogen prevalence are positively related to authoritarianism
Conditional inference trees are part of “machine learning,” a set of algorithms commonly used for data mining (Hastie et al, 2009 for introduction to field)
Summary
A commentary on Pathogens and politics: further evidence that parasite prevalence predicts authoritarianism by Murray, D. This paper is a commentary on Murray et al (2013) where, alongside other findings, data from two cross-cultural samples (nations and cultures), supporting a positive relationship between pathogen prevalence and authoritarianism are presented. The goal of this brief commentary is to re-analyze the data with an alternative technique to examine whether the original conclusions are upheld, the claim that indices of pathogen prevalence are positively related to authoritarianism.
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