Adaptive Calibration of Life History Strategy in Türkiye: The Role of Childhood Unpredictability
Evolutionary Psychological Science, 2026 (ESCI, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.1007/s40806-026-00477-3
- Dergi Adı: Evolutionary Psychological Science
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI), Scopus, Psycinfo
- Anahtar Kelimeler: Life History Theory, Childhood Harshness, Childhood Unpredictability, K-SF-42, Cross-Cultural Validation, Psychometric Adaptation
- Sağlık Bilimleri Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Life History Theory (LHT) proposes that early environmental conditions shape individual differences in resource allocation strategies along a fast-slow continuum. This study examined the differential effects of perceived childhood harshness and unpredictability on life history strategies in a non-WEIRD Turkish sample, while also adapting and validating the Turkish versions of the Perceived Childhood Harshness and Unpredictability Scale (CHU) and the Arizona Life History Battery Short Form (K-SF-42). A total of 635 volunteers (aged 18–67; 74.5% female) completed an online survey. Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed acceptable model fit for both scales (CHU: CFI = 0.932; K-SF-42: CFI = 0.927), with high reliability (α and ω ≥ 0.74) and strong measurement invariance across gender (full invariance for the K-SF-42; scalar invariance for the CHU). Structural equation modeling revealed that childhood unpredictability significantly and negatively predicted the General K factor (β = −0.53, p <.001), whereas harshness did not (β = 0.02, p =.746), together explaining 27.3% of variance. Higher General K scores were associated with a later age at first sexual intercourse. These findings support the view that environmental unpredictability constitutes a more decisive developmental signal than harshness in calibrating life history strategies, extending core LHT predictions to a non-WEIRD cultural context. The Turkish adaptations of both instruments demonstrated sound psychometric properties, providing reliable tools for future cross-cultural evolutionary research.