on. Considering that Cronk wanted to address “whether the Mukogodo show the predicted correlation between wealth, status, and reproductive success, and whether that correlation is attributable to the reproduction-enhancing effects of wealth, to the wealth-enhancing effects of marriage and reproduction, or to some other factor that has positive effects on both wealth and reproduction,” (Cronk 1991: 345) I believe that his research design was both practical and adequate. (Italics were added)Because Iron’s and Mulder’s hypothesis were only relevant to Cronk’s investigation in regard to detail, their research designs had already been taken care of by other scientists. Implementing them into his tables/calculations, qualify them as also belonging to the correlation version of static group comparison.Measurement of VariablesIn trying to assess the “mechanisms for observed correlations” among the main variables in Cronk’s study, two are of dire importance: 1) Could reproductive success enhance wealth or, 2) Could wealth enhance reproductive success? As seen in the ‘research design’ section of his critique, many confounding variables were challenged and correlated, in the evaluation of the proposition. The independent variable: the amount of livestock wealth, was measured at the ratio level because of its conversion to livestock units (fixed measures) to be used in the tables of Cronk’s article. In accordance to the confounding variables, the correlation is in this manner. However, through a more in depth look or comparison one can be fooled into classifying it as an ordinal measurement in lieu of the objectives of the composition at hand. Correlation measures are for sets in the entire sample, these, when evaluated, imply the notion of correlations, in percentage form, exhibiting the ‘rate’ of the correlated variables; hence, a ratio measurement.The dependent variab...
