ABSTRACT
In addressing a behavioral domain newly under investigation, such as infanticide, problems of definition and terminology are acute. Nor are these concerns trivial; they affect not only our ability to communi cate hypotheses and ideas to others but also the scope and direction of our research efforts. In concordance with the other authors in this volume, I will use Hrdy’s (1979; see also this volume, Introduction) classification of infanticide based on the hypothesized adaptive signifi cance of the behavior in various situations. The application of this taxonomy to particular species and to specific cases serves to highlight the classificatory and theoretical problems that we must address in future analyses of infanticidal behavior. My discussion of these prob lems will refer primarily to the human species, but it should be clear that my remarks, mutatis mutandis, will also apply to any other species under investigation.
