Chapter 8 - Human Population Flashcards
Thomas Malthus (1766-1834)
British economist who maintained that increasing human population would eventually deplete the available food supply until starvation, war, or disease arose and reduced the population
IPAT model
A formula that represents how humans’ total impact (I) on the environment results from the interaction among three factors: population (P), affluence (A), and technology (T)
demography
a social science that applies the principles of population ecology to the study of statistical change in human populations
demographer
a social scientist who studies the population size, density, distribution, age structure, sex ratio, and rates of birth, death, immigration, and emigration of human populations
total fertility rate (TFR)
the average number of children born per female member of a population during her life time
replacement fertility
the total fertility rate (TFR) that maintains a stable population size
rate of natural increase (natural rate of population change)
the rate of change in a populations’s size resulting from birth and death alone, excluding, excluding migration.
demographic transition
a theoretical model of economic and cultural change that explains the declining death rates and birth rates that occurred in western nations as they became industrialized. the model holds that industrialization caused these rates to fall naturally by decreasing mortality and by lessening the need for larger large families. parents would thereafter choose to invest in quality of life rather that quantity of children
life expectancy
the average number of years that individuals in particular age groups are likely to continue to live
pre-industrial stage
the first stage of the demographic transition model, characterized by conditions that defined most human history. in pre-industrial societies, both death rates and birth rates are high
industrial stage
the third stage of the demographic transition model, characterized by falling birth rates that close the gap with falling death rates and reduce the rate of population growth
post-industrial stage
the fourth and final stage of the demographic transition model, in which both birth and death rates have fallen to a low level and remain stable there, and populations may even decline slightly
family planning
the effort to plan the number and spacing of one’s children so as to offer children and parents the best quality of life possible
contraception
the deliberate attempt to prevent pregnancy despite sexual intercourse
birth control
the effort to control the number of children on bears, particularly by reducing the frequency of pregnancy
