Premium
Experience‐dependent changes in the development of face preferences in infant rhesus monkeys
Author(s) -
Parr Lisa A.,
Murphy Lauren,
Feczko Eric,
Brooks Jenna,
Collantes Marie,
Heitz Thomas R.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
developmental psychobiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.055
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1098-2302
pISSN - 0012-1630
DOI - 10.1002/dev.21434
Subject(s) - psychology , infant development , developmental psychology , perception , normative , face perception , face (sociological concept) , child development , cognitive psychology , neuroscience , social science , sociology , philosophy , epistemology
It is well known that early experience shapes the development of visual perception for faces in humans. However, the effect of experience on the development of social attention in non‐human primates is unknown. In two studies, we examined the effect of cumulative social experience on developmental changes in attention to the faces of unfamiliar conspecifics or heterospecifics, and mom versus an unfamiliar female. From birth, infant rhesus monkeys preferred to look at conspecific compared to heterospecific faces, but this pattern reversed over time. In contrast, no consistent differences were found for attention to mom's face compared to an unfamiliar female. These results suggest differential roles of social experience in shaping the development of face preferences in infant monkeys. Results have important implications for establishing normative trajectories for the development of face preferences in an animal model of human social behavior.