Degree of Embeddedness of Ecological Systems as a Measure of Ease of Adaptation to the Environment

Various cultural and subcultural groups adapt differentially to a given cultural environment. The differences have been shown in many respects, both in this volume and in its companion volume (Sternberg & Grigorenko, 2001). The differences in adaptation can be measured in many ways: health, nutrition, school grades, cognitive test scores, achievement test scores, income, wealth, and so forth. In this volume and elsewhere, behavioral researchers have been trying to figure out the cause of the groups’ differential adaptation.