ABSTRACT
Evolutionary analyses of behavior typically identify two types of effort: somatic and reproductive. Any time an individual engages in an activity two kinds of costs are incurred: opportunity and resource costs. Optimal allocation of time in a particular activity permits an individual either to maximize resource accumulation or to minimize the time devoted to resource accumulation. The greatest distance between the two curves represents the optimal allocation of time that should be allocated to each activity. The costs and benefits of various behaviors are measured and then models of time allocation are evaluated. Informant recall is an alternative to direct observation of behavior. Informants may be asked to record their behavior in a variety of ways, such as noting it in a diary at the end of the day, or noting the state of their behavior on a form at fixed time intervals. Chayanov's ideas were originally derived from the circumstances of Russian peasant communities.
