scholarly journals Acquisition and functional consequences of social knowledge in macaques

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 160639 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara Tiddi ◽  
Eugenia Polizzi di Sorrentino ◽  
Julia Fischer ◽  
Gabriele Schino
Keyword(s):  
Social Relationships ◽  
Macaca Fuscata ◽  
Selective Advantage ◽  
Japanese Macaques ◽  
Third Parties ◽  
Social Knowledge ◽  
Complex Societies ◽  
Large Database ◽  
The Social ◽  
Functional Consequences

To manoeuvre in complex societies, it is beneficial to acquire knowledge about the social relationships existing among group mates, so as to better predict their behaviour. Although such knowledge has been firmly established in a variety of animal taxa, how animals acquire such knowledge, as well as its functional significance, remains poorly understood. In order to understand how primates acquire and use their social knowledge, we studied kin-biased redirected aggression in Japanese macaques ( Macaca fuscata ) relying on a large database of over 15 000 aggressive episodes. Confirming previous research, macaques redirected aggression preferentially to the kin of their aggressor. An analysis that controlled for the rate of affiliation between aggressors and targets of redirection showed that macaques identified the relatives of group mates on the basis of the frequency of their ongoing associations. By contrast, having observed group mates interact with their mother as infants did not increase the monkeys' success in correctly identifying kin relationships among third parties. Inter-individual variation in the successful identification of the kin of aggressors and in redirecting aggression accordingly translated into differences in the amount of aggression received, highlighting a selective advantage for those individuals that were better able to acquire and use social knowledge.

scholarly journals The Social Function of Imitation in Development

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 93-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harriet Over
Keyword(s):  
Social Development ◽  
Cultural Differences ◽  
Social Relationships ◽  
Social Relationship ◽  
Social Process ◽  
Social Function ◽  
Third Parties ◽  
Social Nature ◽  
Social Pressures ◽  
The Social

Imitation is a deeply social process. Here, I review evidence that children use imitation as a means by which to affiliate with others. For example, children imitate the actions of others more closely when they seek a positive social relationship with them and respond positively to being imitated. Furthermore, children infer something of the relationships between third parties by observing their imitative exchanges. Understanding the social nature of imitation requires exploring the nature of the social relationships between children and the individuals they imitate. Thus, in addition to discussing children's own goals in imitative situations, I review the social pressures children experience to imitate in particular ways, learning to conform to the conventions and rituals of their group. In the latter part of this article, I discuss the extent to which this perspective on imitation can help us to understand broader topics within social development, including the origins of human cultural differences.

Association patterns and affiliative relationships outside a troop in wild male Japanese macaques, Macaca fuscata, during the non-mating season

Behaviour ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 153 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-89 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tatsuro Kawazoe
Keyword(s):  
Social Relationships ◽  
Macaca Fuscata ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Japanese Macaques ◽  
Interaction Patterns ◽  
Mating Season ◽  
Association Patterns ◽  
Wild Male ◽  
Novel Method ◽  
Cluster 2

In many mammals, males disperse more than females. Although males in some male-dispersing species form all-male groups, little is known about the association patterns or social relationships among them. Studies on male–male social relationships have primarily focused on competition over fertile females, but affiliative relationships among males have attracted much interest recently. I suggested a novel method for the classification of males based on their behaviour by principal component analysis (PCA), and investigated association patterns, and affiliative relationships in male Japanese macaques, Macaca fuscata, during the non-mating season. I observed 12 wild male Japanese macaques for 809 h during the non-mating season. The number of other animals within visual range, the amount of time that males spent in the vicinity of other animals, and the frequency of grooming interactions were examined. I classified males into two distinctive clusters (Cluster 1 and 2) according to their association and interaction patterns. Cluster 1 males associated with females and participated in grooming with them. Cluster 2 males had less visual encounters with females and did not groom them. Cluster 2 males showed proximity to other Cluster 2 males in all possible dyads. Although Cluster 2 males showed less proximity to each other than Cluster 1 males did, they frequently exchanged grooming among themselves. Cluster 2 males groomed Cluster 1 males more frequently than they were groomed by them. These results suggested that Cluster 1 were troop males, and Cluster 2 were non-troop males. Cluster 2 males had less opportunity for social interaction than Cluster 1 (troop) males, and they may form all-male groups. Males in all-male groups engaged in more frequent grooming than troop males. In addition, they groomed troop males more frequently than they were groomed. These results suggest that males could be separated by their behaviour. Male–male affiliative relationships might be influenced by within-group potential competition and imbalanced grooming appears to cause troop males to tolerate non-troop males which might be immigrated in near future.

scholarly journals The Social Rank of Zoo-Housed Japanese Macaques is a Predictor of Visitor-Directed Aggression

Animals ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 316 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jocelyn M. Woods ◽  
Stephen R. Ross ◽  
Katherine A. Cronin
Keyword(s):  
Macaca Fuscata ◽  
Social Dynamics ◽  
Social Rank ◽  
Japanese Macaques ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
The Social ◽  
Rating Method ◽  
Lower Ranking ◽  
Crowd Size

The effect that visitors have on the behavior and welfare of animals is a widely-studied topic in zoo animal welfare. Typically, these studies focus on how the presence or activity levels of visitors affect animals. However, for many species, and particularly primates, social factors, such as social rank, can also have a large impact on behavior. Here, we considered the influence of both the role of visitors (crowd size and activity levels) and rank on the occurrence of visitor-directed aggression by zoo-housed Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata, N = 12). We conducted 52 weeks of observation (443.8 h) of macaques living in a large outdoor habitat and recorded 1574 events of visitor-directed behavior, 94.2% of which was characterized as aggressive. We calculated rank using the Elo-rating method. GLMM comparisons indicate that rank was a significant predictor of visitor-directed aggression, with lower-ranked individuals displaying more frequent aggression towards visitors. Additionally, visitor-directed aggression differed by crowd activity levels, but not crowd size. These results support our prediction that rank is associated with differences in visitor-directed aggression, and we interpret this pattern as lower-ranking macaques redirecting aggression toward zoo visitors as safe targets. This work emphasizes how factors emanating from the zoo environment can combine with social dynamics to influence primate response to human presence in the zoo setting.

Reconciliation, Consolation, and Redirection in Japanese Macaques (Macaca Fuscata)

Behaviour ◽  
1993 ◽  
Vol 124 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 1-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans C. Veenema ◽  
Jan A.R.A.M. Van Hooff ◽  
Filippo Aureli ◽  
Carel J. Van Panthaleon Van Eck
Keyword(s):  
Social Interactions ◽  
Macaca Fuscata ◽  
Japanese Macaques ◽  
Mating Season ◽  
The Social

AbstractWe studied the occurrence of social interactions after agonistic conflicts in captiveJapanese macaques. We collected data on one group during the mating and the non-mating season and on another group during the mating season only. We compared the social interactions of the victim soon after a conflict with the social interactions of the same individual during control periods, using two different methods. The results obtained with the two methods were very consistent. We found clear evidence for the occurrence of reconciliation and redirection. However, there was no evidence for consolation even when we considered only affiliation between the victim and its own kin or between the victim and the aggressor's kin. Separate analyses for the two groups and the two seasons yielded very similar results.

scholarly journals Monitoring of group mates in relation to their activity in mandrills

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriele Schino ◽  
Martina Scerbo
Keyword(s):  
Social Interactions ◽  
Social Relationships ◽  
Social Group ◽  
Social Rank ◽  
Social Knowledge ◽  
Mandrillus Sphinx ◽  
The Social

ABSTRACTPrimates are known to have considerable knowledge about the social relationships that link their group mates, and are likely to derive this information from observing the social interactions that occur in their social group. They may therefore be hypothesized to pay particular attention to the social interactions involving group mates. In this study, we evaluated how the attention captive mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx) devote to their group mates was modulated by the behavior of the latter. Mandrills looked most frequently at foraging individuals and least frequently at sleeping invividuals. Mandrills also looked at grooming individuals more than at individuals that were simply sitting in contact. Grooming dyads were looked at regardless of the social rank and kinship of the individuals involved. These results contribute to our understanding of how primates obtain their social knowledge.

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