The measurement of Human Life History strategy

This retrospective essay appraises J. Philippe Rushton’s application of life history to understanding the covariation among human traits in light of subsequent developments in the measurement and latent structure of Human Life History, covitality, and personality. We conclude that Rushton should be recognized for having initiated a theoretically and empirically highly fertile paradigm in human individual differences research.

► We evaluate Rushton’s contribution to understanding Human Life History.
► We examine his predictions in the context of the data.
► The preponderance of the data support Rushton’s original hypothesis with respect to individual differences.
► We conclude that Rushton made a significant contribution to individual differences.