Life History Speed as a Predictor of Rape and Sexually Coercive Behavior

The current study seeks to further understand risk factors for sexually coercive behavior by evaluating how indicators of population level average Life History speed (e.g., teen birth rate, life expectancy) compare to typical criminogenic variables (e.g., Socioeconomic status, average IQ) as predictors of state variation in rape rates across the 50 United States, as well as the relationship between individuals’ Life History (LH) speeds and self-reported proclivity for, and perpetration of, sexually coercive behaviors. LH Theory is a biological theory that argues organisms’ optimal resource allocation strategies are based on their environments. LH strategies are described as a continuum of “LH speeds,” and variation in LH speed has been connected to variation in aggressive and violent behavior. The current project extends this research by testing population level variation in LH speed indicators and individual variation in psychometric LH speed as a predictor of variation in sexually coercive behavior.