Simulation model for kinship structures is ethnographically invalid.

The simulation model presented in ref. 1 requires correct usage of kinship concepts. However, the two kinship concepts central to the model, the incest taboo and the clan form of social organization, are incorrectly presented. The authors incorrectly consider the incest taboo to express preference for marriages between different social units: “marriage occurs only with a certain different cluster, resulting in the incest taboo” (ref. 1, p. 2379). The incest taboo actually refers to the cultural prohibition of sexual relations between parent and child or between siblings (2) and only affects marriages through cultural prohibition of marriages involving incestuous sexual relations. What the authors call the incest taboo is actually a … [↵][1]1To whom correspondence may be addressed: dread{at}ss.ucla.edu. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1